Politirapporter om jødeforfølgelser 1819-1820 og politiske frihedskrav

Abstract

Riots against Jews took place in September 1819 in Copenhagen and some provincial towns, e.g. Elsinore and Odense. The Government did not succeed in finding the people who were responsible, nor were the real causes of the riots discovered. New source material has been found in police reports and other documents belonging to A.S. Ørsted, the deputy of the Danish Chancellery. These police reports substantiate that the persecution of the Jews in Copenhagen did not end in January 1820 as has generally been presumed by historical research. On the contrary, the disturbances continued for almost the rest of the year 1820. During September 1820 the riots once again took a serious turn. Police reports described disturbances around Jewish homes and shops where windows were broken. The background for the riots was the Government’s handling of the country’s poor financial situation. This was expressed in handbills directed against the Jews as well as in political proclamations announced by the author J.K. Blok Tøxen and Doctor of Philosophy J.J. Dampe. The Government saw a connection between these two “movements”, i.e. the riots against the Jews and the circle around Doctor Dampe. Frederik J. Kaas, the president of the King’s Cabinet, feared that the new disturbances could be “[a]n introduction to the big scene”, i.e. the big riot against Absolutist governmental form. A special court of justice sentenced Doctor Dampe to death. It was a warning to all troublemakers.