Police in Denmark are facing widespread criticism over their handling of a murder case involving a biracial man and a self-declared white supremacist, according to The New York Times.

Phillip Mbuji Johansen, a 28-year-old engineering student of Danish and Tanzanian descent, was killed last week by two men on the island of Bornholm. One of the men has a swastika tattooed on his leg and the words "White power" tattooed on another leg. Research group Redox reported that the same man had expressed support for right-wing Danish groups and had written messages supporting the phrase "White lives matter" on his Facebook page.

Despite this, the police in Denmark have repeatedly said the case does not have anything to with race.

The Times cited an unidentified local newspaper that quoted prosecutor Benthe Pedersen Lund as saying skin color had nothing to do with Johansen's death and that it was a case of a "personal relationship gone wrong" because Johansen previously knew one of the men who is accused of killing him.

The grisly details of the case and the actions of police officers have drawn massive interest from Danish news outlets, which have also noted in their reporting that one of the men knelt on Johansen's neck.

Danish news outlet Ekstra Bladet reported that Johansen was visiting his mother, who lives on Bornholm, last week and attended a party on Monday. Johansen's mother told Ekstra Bladet that he was invited for beers in the woods and never returned. On Tuesday morning, Johansen's body was found. Police said his skull had been cracked and that he had multiple stab wounds on his body.

Because the police report included a note about the killers kneeling on Johansen's neck, Danish activists and news outlets have tied the case to George Floyd. By Wednesday, police arrested two brothers in connection to the killing, one aged 23 and the other 25.

The police have not named the suspects, but the lawyer for the 23-year-old admitted in court that the two attacked Johansen. The attorney later denied that they killed him.

In recent years, multiple European countries have seen a resurgence of right-wing and white supremacy groups, a possible response to a wave of migrants coming into the region from the Middle East in 2015. Data from the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe has shown a disturbing increase in hate crime incidents over the past five years.

In the last month, there has also been a particularly racist response to the global protests over Floyd's killing. Danish news outlets reported that "White lives matter" signs have begun to pop up across the country in recent weeks.

The Times previously reported on Denmark's specific troubles with white supremacist violence directed toward immigrants, and the country has been criticized for passing a number of punitive laws aimed directly at Black and brown migrants.

Black Lives Matter Denmark has actively been discussing Johansen's killing on its Facebook page. It has not been confirmed by news outlets, but the organization said one of the men has been released because he is mentally ill.

Danish-Ivorian activist Awa Konaté told The Times that the case is part of a larger issue of racism not being acknowledged in Denmark.

“It took three days for the police inspector and state prosecutor to completely refute that it is racially motivated, despite all the evidence pointing toward it. This shows this is a systemic issue,” Konaté said.

“The extent of racism in Denmark is absolute denial of its existence. Although there is so much evidence pointing to the murder being racially motivated, the police, the prosecutor and even the victim’s friend, who is white, deny any connection,” Konaté added.

Phillip-Mbuji-Johansen

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