The town of Maribo is hosting the UFO Maribo congress for the second time, part of a local campaign to brand the Lolland town as Denmark’s UFO capital.
DR reports that the business association Maribo Handel is behind the event, which offers talks, lectures and a panel debate about life in space. The congress is being held for the second year running.
The idea came from Ebbe Frahm, who became chair of the association and wanted new projects for the town. According to DR, he was looking for something that could put Maribo on the map, and settled on flying saucers after reading an article on the subject.
Speakers divided on the evidence
One of the speakers is Søren Sørensen, a military analyst at Forsvarsakademiet and a former F-16 fighter pilot. He is also co-host of the DR podcast Flyvende Tallerken, where he was brought in to assess a series of videos released by the Pentagon.
Per his assessment, the recordings show solid objects moving in ways that humans cannot reproduce. Sørensen tells DR that the UFO field also contains a great deal of false footage and accounts that are hard to believe.
Astrophysicist Michael Linden-Vørnle, chief consultant at DTU Space, is more doubtful. He is also speaking at the congress, where he gives a talk for children about life in space. As stated by Linden-Vørnle, people’s experiences are a real phenomenon, but he does not believe the American cases involve aliens, and points instead to power and politics.
Linden-Vørnle is a former vice chair of Skandinavisk UFO-Information and describes the UFO myth as an interesting phenomenon. According to him, the interest lies in sociology and psychology rather than technical science, because the myth reflects Danish society and what happens in it.
Organizers want locals on board
The team behind UFO Maribo says interest in UFOs has risen recently. As reported by DR, they point to life in space becoming a hot topic in American politics, and to Steven Spielberg’s science fiction film Disclosure Day.
Mobilizing residents of the town is handled by Stine Pilt Olsen. She notes that few locals attended last year, and that there are not that many dedicated UFO fans in the area.
The congress has therefore been split into two parts this year. One part is aimed at enthusiasts with detailed lectures, while the other is lighter, more relaxed and open to families. Olsen tells DR that otherwise there would be no point in holding it in Maribo, since the event could just be run on Teams.
Maribo is the main town of Lolland Municipality, set beside the Maribo lakes. The congress is organized by the local business association rather than the municipality.
