The Danish Parliament’s decision to censor discussions about Israel-Palestine in school elections has sparked criticism for undermining democratic education. The Presidium of the Parliament, comprising members from Venstre (Liberals), Socialdemokratiet (Social Democrats), Danmarksdemokraterne (Denmark Democrats), and Liberal Alliance (Liberal Alliance), rejected a proposal from youth parties to include the topic of recognizing Palestine as an independent state. SF (Socialist People’s Party) was the only party that voted against the censorship.

Opponents argue that this censorship prevents students from engaging with a critical and relevant global issue. The conflict’s impact on young people, particularly those with ties to the Middle East, is significant, with exposure to violent images and potential for heightened emotions.

Özlem Cekic, Secretary General of Brobyggerne – Center for Dialogkaffe and former member of the Folketinget (Danish Parliament) for Socialistisk Folkeparti (Socialist People’s Party), criticizes the decision, emphasizing the importance of dialogue and debate in a healthy democracy. Cekic’s organization addresses prejudice, antisemitism, racism, and generalizations in schools, demonstrating that people of different backgrounds can find common ground.

The school election process, involving political issue analysis, candidate nomination, argumentation practice, and debates, aims to train students’ “democracy muscle.” Cekic suggests that censoring difficult topics hinders this educational process.

Even in cases involving offensive material, such as the Danish People’s Party Youth’s distribution of “return tickets to immigrants” in the past, Cekic has argued against censorship, advocating instead for equipping students to engage in constructive dialogue. She hopes that many schools will resist the censorship and uphold the right to dialogue.