By John Ikani
Denmark’s Parliament has voted to allocate more funds to the military by abolishing a traditional springtime public holiday.
The ‘Great Prayer Day’, which has been celebrated for over three centuries, will be scrapped, according to a 95-68 vote by lawmakers.
The move is expected to add an extra three billion kroner (about $427 million) to the defence budget.
However, the decision has been met with resistance from trade unions, religious leaders, and opposition politicians.
Last week, thousands of protesters gathered outside the parliament building in Copenhagen to demonstrate against the plan.
Despite the opposition, there were not enough dissenting voices in parliament to demand a referendum.
Some lawmakers accused the government of forcing people to work one more day, but the coalition government insisted that the extra funds were necessary to meet NATO’s target of spending 2% of the country’s GDP on defence by 2030.
Denmark currently has up to 11 public holidays, and the cancellation of ‘Great PFrederiksen, will reduce that number.
However, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has brushed off the concerns of critics, saying that it’s not a problem to work an extra day.
The government believes that the move is necessary due to the ongoing conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
