Acquittal over sharing satirical drawing stands

The acquittal of author and sexologist Per Holm Knudsen stands after prosecutors decided not to take the case to Denmark’s High Court. The case concerned his decision to share a satirical drawing on Facebook in 2020.

The drawing came from a satirical Norwegian television program. It showed a man with a large white beard, sidelocks and a skullcap playing Scrabble with a younger man. The letter tiles formed the antisemitic slur “Jew pig,” while the younger player appeared uncomfortable and hesitated before turning the tiles so his opponent could see the word.

Prosecutors charged the 80-year-old with violating Section 266b of the Danish Criminal Code, commonly known as the racism paragraph. They sought a fine of 10,000 kroner. Knudsen acknowledged sharing the post but denied breaking the law.

On Aug. 18, a unanimous panel at the Randers District Court acquitted him. The presiding judge said the drawing could, viewed on its own, be considered insulting and degrading. But the text and images accompanying the post made clear that it was not a hateful statement, the judge said. With prosecutors declining to appeal, the acquittal is final.

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The drawing with the word ‘Jew pig’ can, in isolation, be considered insulting and degrading. But in the context of the text and images in the post, it must be clear that this was not a hateful statement.