Dansk Folkeparti leader Morten Messerschmidt and Radikale Venstre leader Martin Lidegaard faced each other in Frederiksberg District Court on Tuesday in a civil defamation case over remarks Lidegaard made in 2025.
Avisen Danmark reports that Lidegaard was questioned in Retten på Frederiksberg on August 18. He is defending himself against Messerschmidt’s claim that he made honour damaging statements.
The disputed remarks were made at Demokratidagen in Randers in November 2025. According to Avisen Danmark, Lidegaard said Messerschmidt wanted to intern up to 100,000 Danes of another ethnic background who would not leave voluntarily. Lidegaard referred to an interview Messerschmidt gave to Weekendavisen about deporting criminal foreigners and foreigners who cannot support themselves.
In court, Lidegaard said his wording was sharply framed but not defamatory. He told the judges that he was seeking a political debate and a response, and that he had added the caveat that he understood the Weekendavisen interview correctly. Per the same reporting, he said Messerschmidt should have answered publicly instead of suing.
The case also concerns a second passage from the 2025 debate. Lidegaard spoke of a fork in the road and placed Messerschmidt alongside Donald Trump and Alternative für Deutschland. He then said that someone wanted to intern and deport thousands of fellow citizens because of their faith or skin color.
Messerschmidt’s lawyer, Carlo Siebert, asked in court whether that reference meant the Dansk Folkeparti chairman. Lidegaard answered that it referred to the whole group, and that he wanted to make clear which company Messerschmidt was moving into.
Messerschmidt took the witness stand earlier the same day and said the accusation was too serious for him to accept. Ekstra Bladet reports that he said outside the courtroom that the case is not about skin color, and that his policy targets criminal foreigners and people who cannot support themselves.
What the court must decide
According to Presse-fotos.dk, Messerschmidt is not seeking damages or punishment. He has asked the court to declare the November 2025 statements unjustified, saying the case is about his name rather than money.
Altinget reports that Messerschmidt wants a ruling that the statements violate section 267 of the Danish criminal code, while Lidegaard seeks acquittal. Legal commentators cited by Altinget note that the outcome depends on how far protection of political speech extends for a sitting member of parliament.
BT, which covered the hearing live, notes that three judges must decide whether Lidegaard crossed the legal line. Politiken has described the case as a test of how far politicians in Danish politics may go in criticizing each other.
The court set aside one day for the hearing, which continued Tuesday afternoon. Avisen Danmark reports that the judgment is expected in a few weeks.
