Dansk Folkeparti leader Morten Messerschmidt and Radikale Venstre leader Martin Lidegaard meet in court on Tuesday in a civil defamation case. The hearing at Retten på Frederiksberg concerns remarks Lidegaard made during a political debate in Randers in 2025.
DR reports that the case is being heard today, August 18, 2026, at the district court in Frederiksberg. Messerschmidt sued Lidegaard after the Radikale leader said at a debate that Dansk Folkeparti wants to intern and deport thousands of fellow citizens because of their faith or skin color.
Frederik Waage, professor of constitutional law at the University of Southern Denmark, told DR that the case is unusual. He said he knows of no other case in which one party leader has sued another over allegedly defamatory statements made during a political debate. According to Waage, the ruling will be watched closely as a possible guideline for public political debate.
The dispute began with an interview Messerschmidt gave to Weekendavisen in the fall of 2025. He argued that foreign nationals who do not earn their own money should not remain in Denmark on public support, and estimated that between 50,000 and 100,000 people fell into that category in 2025. Lidegaard criticized him for that position at a debate event ahead of the municipal elections.
At the Randers debate, Messerschmidt gave Lidegaard 24 hours to retract the statement or face a lawsuit. No retraction followed, and the suit was filed. Altinget reports that the debate took place on November 10, 2025, and that Messerschmidt’s claim rests on straffelovens § 267 on defamation.
What each side argues
Per Altinget, Messerschmidt argues that Lidegaard’s description of Dansk Folkeparti’s policy amounts to accusing him of racially motivated internment and deportation, which he says is factually false. Lidegaard seeks acquittal, arguing through his counsel that the remarks fall within political debate and the extended freedom of expression granted to politicians.
Presse-fotos.dk reports that the parties did not settle out of court, and that Messerschmidt is not seeking damages or punishment. He is asking only for a judicial declaration that the November 2025 statements were unfounded. Altinget’s court calendar lists a single hearing day before three judges.
Ekstra Bladet reports that Lidegaard’s defense plans to confront Messerschmidt with an earlier sharp comment of his own. His lawyers also describe the lawsuit as politically motivated. Dansk Folkeparti’s own announcement frames the case as a response to factually incorrect and injurious statements.
Waage told DR that Messerschmidt faces an uphill battle, because politicians enjoy broad free-speech protection. He noted that this protection still has limits under the European Convention on Human Rights. Law professor Sten Schaumburg-Müller has previously reached a similar conclusion about the case.
Politiken reports that the parties’ lawyers have prepared for this specific August court date. A verdict is expected within a few weeks, according to DR.
