Denmark to abolish springtime public holiday to help meet NATO spending goal

Danish lawmakers voted to abolish a springtime nationalist vacation from the nationalist calendar and program to usage the savings to boost subject spending.

Denmark's 179-seat Parliament connected Tuesday voted by 95 to 68 to o.k. the centrist conjugation government's connection to scrap Store Bededag, oregon Great Prayer Day, from adjacent year.

Great Prayer Day is simply a spiritual vacation that falls connected the 4th Friday aft Easter.

The recently formed authorities said the cancellation of the nationalist vacation would supply an further 3 cardinal Danish krone (roughly $430 million). The lion's stock of this volition past beryllium utilized to rise the country's defence spending and bring it successful enactment with NATO's people of 2% of gross home product.

The arguable bill, which was projected successful December, has been sharply criticized by spiritual groups, commercialized unions and lawmakers from crossed the governmental spectrum. However, absorption lawmakers failed to hold connected calling a referendum connected the issue.

"Stop the thief," said Karsten Hønge, a subordinate of the Socialist People's Party, according to The Associated Press. "The authorities is ordering radical to enactment 1 time more."

Nearly 500,000 radical signed an online petition to support the vacation arsenic of Wednesday.

Last month, thousands of radical convened extracurricular the Danish Parliament gathering successful the superior Copenhagen to protestation the bill.

Unions organizing the protestation estimated astatine slightest 50,000 radical took portion successful the demonstration, which Reuters reported would marque it the country's biggest objection successful much than a decade.

Led by Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, Denmark's conjugation of the Social Democrats, the Liberals and the Moderates has said the measure was successful portion a effect to Russia's warfare successful Ukraine.

Workers successful Demark presently person 11 nationalist holidays.