#MeToo waves rarely arrive alone, and today Denmark is waking up to the news that yet another public figure, this time the mayor of a Region of Southern Denmark municipality, has resigned following allegations of inappropriate behaviour.
Nordfyn mayor Morten Andersen, who represents Venstre, has stepped down from office following confirmation from the municipality that he “kissed a female employee on the dancefloor” at a municipality party last Christmas.
“The municipality’s management will take the necessary care for the employee in question in light of the great attention the case is expected to receive both internally and externally,” added the statement.
Andersen had been in power for 13 years
Third high-profile case of the season
Following a meeting last Thursday, the municipality’s finance committee ruled that it no longer had confidence in the mayor.
“I cannot change what I did, but I offer an unreserved apology for my actions to everyone,” wrote Andersen on Facebook yesterday.
Morten Andersen is the third high-profile #MeToo case this spring, following the resignation of FH supremo Lizette Risgaard and confirmation that Moderateren MP Jon Stephensen will take extended leave.
Crazy in current climate
So long the domain of questionable behaviour, newcomers to Denmark in previous decades were often warned about attending their first office julefrokost, as sparks tended to fly – often between colleagues whose only previous interaction had been queuing for the photocopier.
But all that changed following the #MeToo movement in Denmark in 2020 – and political commentators have expressed surprise at Andersen’s behaviour in today’s climate, citing the case of former Copenhagen mayor Frank Jensen.
In 2011, Ekstra Bladet reported how the then mayor groped two women at a Christmas party under the headline “Gramse-Frank”. But at the time, nobody called for his resignation.
It was only once the #MeToo movement picked up steam in 2020 that more allegations emerged and Jensen eventually stood down.
