Danes scrap election promo video featuring sex, violence

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Sex. Violence. Elections.

Oops.

Officials in Denmark have retracted a controversial animated cartoon that was intended to inspire young people to vote in upcoming elections for the European Parliament. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTiCA-EmzcQ>

The 90-second video featured a mustachioed, muscular man aggressively interrupting a couple having sex and punching people into a polling station. It was posted late Monday on the Danish Parliament’s social media sites.

Parliament Speaker Mogens Lykketoft said Tuesday that the 179-seat Folketing should in future “be more careful with what we put our name to.” Lawmakers were cited by Danish media as saying it was done without their knowledge.

Voting for the 751-seat European Parliament takes place in each of the European Union’s 28 member states, stretching over four days beginning May 22.