Dansk Folkeparti (Danish People’s Party / DF)

EU RANK: 181 (Tier 5: High Risk)

Dansk Folkeparti is a right-wing populist party emphasising anti-immigration policy, nationalism, Euroscepticism, and welfare chauvinism, the protection of welfare benefits primarily for Danish nationals. Once a major political force securing 21% of the vote in 2015, the party collapsed dramatically to 2.6% of the vote and 5 seats in 2022. Led by Morten Messerschmidt, Dansk Folkeparti remains marginalized in Danish politics despite continuing influence in shaping immigration debates. The party’s dramatic electoral decline reflects shifting voter preferences toward more recent right-wing populist alternatives and internal leadership controversies.

Disinformation and alternative media

Dansk Folkeparti relies on social media platforms and grassroots communication to maintain relevance despite electoral marginalization. The party frames immigration restrictionism and welfare nationalism as core policy positions. Our research notes that the party has been both target and occasional source of polarising rhetoric on immigration and integration issues. While the party does not control alternative media outlets, its messaging on immigration and cultural concerns has occasionally employed inflammatory framing. Disinformation/alternative media risk is medium to high.

Foreign influence and external alignments

Dansk Folkeparti is Eurosceptic and nationalist, advocating reduced EU integration and emphasis on Danish national sovereignty. The party opposes multilateral frameworks viewed as constraining national immigration and welfare policy autonomy. There is no evidence of financial or organizational ties to hostile foreign states. The party’s Eurosceptic positioning reflects ideological commitment to nationalism rather than foreign state alignment, though it aligns with broader right-wing populist European movements. Foreign influence DMI risk is low to medium.

Media capture, advertising and public service media

Dansk Folkeparti does not own major media assets. The party has historically criticised public service broadcasters, particularly DR, as biased toward progressive perspectives. However, the party has not systematically advocated for media capture or political restructuring of broadcasting institutions. As a marginalized opposition party with limited political influence, DF’s capacity to shape media governance remains minimal. Media capture DMI risk is low to medium.

Corruption, litigation and institutional integrity

Party leader Morten Messerschmidt faced significant legal challenges related to EU fraud and racism. In 2015, Messerschmidt, then-chair of the Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy (MELD) and affiliated fund FELD, was accused by the EU’s anti-fraud office (OLAF) of misusing approximately 98,000 DKK in EU funds. A Danish court convicted Messerschmidt in 2021 of both fraud and forgery, sentencing him to a six-month suspended prison sentence. However, the verdict was overturned on procedural grounds—the original judge had liked social media posts critical of Messerschmidt, constituting bias. In December 2022, the Court of Frederiksberg fully acquitted Messerschmidt of all charges, concluding the prosecution had not proven misuse or forgery. Following the acquittal, Danish prosecutors declined to appeal, closing the case. More recently, in October 2024, Messerschmidt was officially charged under Denmark’s anti-racism law (Section 266b of the Criminal Code) for a social media post made in October 2023 that referenced a poster ruled racist in an earlier case, pairing “Denmark today” with blonde women and “Denmark in 10 years” with hooded, bloodstained men holding the Quran—implying immigrant replacement. No final verdict has been reached on the racism charges. The party maintains standard financial reporting procedures. The combination of party leader legal controversies and electoral marginalization raises institutional integrity concerns. DMI corruption and institutional integrity risk is high.

Press freedom, harassment and treatment of media

Dansk Folkeparti has occasionally criticized public broadcasters as biased, though this reflects standard political rhetoric rather than systematic delegitimization campaigns. The party has not engaged in documented patterns of mobilising harassment against journalists. However, the party’s polarising rhetoric on immigration and integration may contribute to broader societal polarization affecting media pluralism and journalist safety in immigration-related reporting. Press freedom and harassment DMI risk is medium.

Dimension	Risk level	Short justification
Disinformation & alternative media	Medium–High	Right-wing populist party with polarising immigration messaging; no alt-media control; occasional inflammatory rhetoric.
Foreign influence & external alignments	Low–Medium	Eurosceptic and nationalist; no foreign state ties; positioning aligns with right-wing populist movements.
Media capture & advertising / PSB control	Low–Medium	No media assets; occasional broadcaster criticism; marginalized position limits governance influence.
Corruption & institutional integrity risk	High	Party leader Messerschmidt convicted then acquitted of EU fraud; currently charged with racism law violations; ongoing legal exposure.
Press freedom & harassment of media	Medium	Broadcaster criticism reflects standard rhetoric; no systematic harassment; polarizing immigration rhetoric affects media environment.