Tina Petersen, a former MP for Dansk Folkeparti (DF) and current Svendborg city councillor, posted a photo on Facebook that compared Muslims to rubbish.
“Hehe … Remember to take out the big trash tomorrow ;-)))..” Petersen wrote next to a manipulated photo of a burka-clad Muslim woman and a child, who are made to resemble the two rubbish bags they are standing next to.
An outraged Copenhagen resident, Lars Nexø, notified the police, reports Ekstra Bladet.
“I don’t think you can compare people with garbage − it's an insult. I am convinced that people who wear the burka do not think it is especially fun − but this clearly indicates that Tina Petersen and her friends find it funny,” Nexo told TV2 Fyn.
Petersen − an MP for DF up until the September elections − has made no comments about her Facebook fiasco. One of her online acquaintances, however, said plenty, as she wrote: “Remember: It must be taken to the municipality’s chemical department, as it is hazardous waste;)” in reply to Petersen’s distasteful post.
The post has been deleted from Petersen's Facebook profile, but Ekstra Bladet managed to get a screenshot of the offensive post before it was removed.
The photo did elicit some limited condemnation from other members of the DF.
"There's no need to insult people," DF member and fellow city council member, Jens Munk, told TV2 Fyn.
Petersen has now been called in for a "private conversation" about the photo according to DF's organisational vice-chair, Carl Ebbesen.
"We want to have a chat with Tina Petersen, but I am sure she didn't mean to insult anyone," Ebbesen told TV2 Fyn.
