The climate in the German-Danish border region does not tolerate place-name signs

The President of the Federal Union of European Nationalities Hans Heinrich Hansen, who was born in Haderslev / Hadersleben, Denmark, regrets the removal of the place-name sign in Haderslev / Hadersleben. 

“I was delighted that the mayor of Haderslev /Hadersleben, by taking the brave step to install the sign, expressed recognition for the German minority, the German language and for diversity.

We have to notice that the climate in the German-Danish border region still is not mature enough to tolerate bilingual place-name signs.

I call on all the actors and on the municipalities that are concerned to give themselves a period for reflection in this heated debate, in order to solve this question as soon as possible.

It cannot be in the interest of the region to conclude the celebrations for the 60th anniversary of the Bonn-Copenhagen Declarations with such a scandal. A legitimate wish for bilingual signage was expressed. How that can be a provocation is something that I cannot understand. That wish is not new, but already almost 20 years old. Time should be ripe for this.

As President of FUEN, I and my team who come from several minorities in Europe, support the position of the German-Danish border region as a model region for minorities in Europe. With the potential of the region and the experiences it had during its history, we want to realise here our House of Minorities – as a European centre. A centre functioning as a point of contact and that is focusing on conflict resolution and on maintaining peace between peoples living together.

We don’t have to simplify the topic of topographical signs – they exist in many regions of Europe, but there are also other regions where they led to discussion. In the end they are a symbol for mutual recognition and respect. I think that they would fit in the landscape of Nordschleswig very well.”

Photo: Flensborg Avis