Schiller Institute Demonstrates for Bridge Between Denmark and Germany at German Embassy

COPENHAGEN, June 19, 2007--Yesterday, the Schiller Institute (SI) in Denmark held a small demonstration, including singing, in front of the German Embassy in Copenhagen, to pressure Berlin to say yes to building the bridge between Denmark and Germany across the Fehmer Belt. The demonstrators held up a giant poster in German, "Where Is Germany? Say Yes to the Fehmer Belt Bridge," as well as a sign in Danish, and even displayed a model of the proposed bridge, with Danish and German flags, and maglev trains with magnets.

Songs and canons were sung in German and Danish, including Haydn's Ja und Nein, with special text for the occasion: "The Danes say yes, the Germans no, yes, no, to build the bridge, don't think so small, a big nation should not think so small." Other songs included Beethoven's setting to Schiller's Ode to Joy, Freundschaft, the German national anthem, the resistance song Thoughts Are Free, and a Hans Christian Andersen song, prompting the embassy employees to start looking out the windows.

At the end of the demonstration, the German ambassador spoke with the demonstrators. He was briefed in German about why the bridge is important, and about the work of the Schiller Institute, also in the larger context of the growing international financial crash. He was also informed about the June 21 LaRouche webcast. Then, the SI presented their model bridge to the ambassador, who was photographed gladly accepting it (bottom picture to the Right. The German ambassador, Dr. Gerhard Nourney, is in the middle flanked by Tom Gillesberg and Feride Istogu Gillesberg).

Jyllands-Posten, the Danish daily which is promoting an internal Danish bridge at the expense of a bridge to Germany, put out an article out on their internet edition before the demonstration occurred, entitled, "Demonstration in Favor of Fehmer Belt Bridge," after calling for a telephone interview with the chairman of the Schiller Institute in Denmark, Tom Gillesberg. There was interest in the story from some of the German press representatives in Denmark.

The blurb reads, "While criticism of the planned Fehmer Bridge grows in Denmark, a small group of enthusiasts will demonstrate today in front of the Germany Embassy to demand German support for the bridge.

"'It is something of a scandal if the Germans won't pay their share of the bridge, which is important both for freight and passenger transport between Denmark and Germany. Therefore, the action today should be seen as a strong encouragement for Germany to make an agreement,' says Tom Gillesberg, chairman of the Schiller Institute, which is behind the demonstration. The organization has plans to repeat the demonstration every Monday until Germany agrees.

"At the same time that they are campaigning for the Fehmer Belt bridge, the SI also supports a bridge across the Kattegat [internal to Denmark] which has gained more and more supporters during the last few months.

"'The bridges won't cost anything in the long run, so let's build the Fehmer Bridge now and use the necessary time to prepare the Kattegat connection,' says Tom Gillesberg."

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