Henrik Sass Larsen has been expelled from the Social Democrats

Former Social Democrat minister and top politician Henrik Sass Larsen is expelled from the Social Democrats.

The decision was made by the party's executive board, confirmed by the Social Democrats to DR News.

The expulsion comes after the case of possession of child abuse material.

"I can confirm that the executive board, based on the publicly known case of Henrik Sass Larsen's purchase of child abuse material, has decided to expel him from the Social Democrats," says party secretary Lasse Ryberg in a written comment to DR News.

The expulsion means that one cannot be a member of the party, according to the Social Democrats.

DR News would like to follow up on the expulsion, but the party states that it has no further comments. Several executive board members, whom DR News has spoken to, have no comments and refer to party secretary Lasse Ryberg. However, he does not wish to give an interview.

Read also: Henrik Sass' lawyer: The law on child abuse material is not applicable to his situation (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/henrik-sass-advokat-loven-om-overgrebsmateriale-er-ikke-tiltaenkt-hans-situation)

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Invited to resign

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Henrik Sass Larsen is charged with having been in possession of 6,242 images and 2,231 videos with child abuse material, as well as possession of an illegal sex doll, which appeared as a child.

He denies guilt in the indictment.

Read also: Henrik Sass Larsen on child abuse material: Searched for video of abuse against myself (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/indland/henrik-sass-larsen-om-overgrebsmateriale-ledte-efter-video-af-overgreb-mod-sig-selv)

Recently, Sass Larsen told an interview with B.T (https://www.bt.dk/politik/sass-larsen-afsloerer-opkald-fra-socialdemokratiet-de-ville-have-mig-ud), that he had chosen not to resign from his old party.

He said that the party - apparently a party secretary - had called his lawyer and asked him to resign.

Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) confirmed this later. (https://www.dr.dk/nyheder/seneste/mette-frederiksen-bekraefter-bad-sass-larsen-om-melde-sig-ud-af-partiet)

"That is what we have judged to be the most appropriate," said Mette Frederiksen briefly and wished to say no more about the case.

VIDEO Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) commented on the case against Sass Larsen in March.

Sass Larsen said in the interview with B.T (https://www.bt.dk/politik/sass-larsen-afsloerer-opkald-fra-socialdemokratiet-de-ville-have-mig-ud), that he had not thought about resigning.

"I am the same as I have always been. Also when I was active in politics – with the same values and the same attitudes. So I will not resign, and I think under all circumstances one cannot be familiar with asking me to resign from the Social Democrats. That was really sad," he said.

Henrik Sass Larsen was for many years in the inner circle of the Social Democrats. Here he is seen (at the back) together with Mette Frederiksen and Nikolai Wammen on Christiansborg in July 2019. (Photo: © Mads Claus Rasmussen, Ritzau Scanpix)

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Chairman of DSU, group leader and minister

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Henrik Sass Larsen was a member of the Social Democrats for decades and was perceived as one of the party's major strategists.

He became chairman of the Danish Social Democratic Youth in 1992.

Later he was elected to the Danish Parliament, which he was a member of for nearly two decades from 2000 to 2019 for the Social Democrats.

Here he was both group leader in a period, and he became in 2013 Minister of Business in the Helle Thorning-Schmidt government.

In 2019 he stepped down from Danish politics and received a top job in the business sector.

The trial against Sass Larsen begins in August.

DR News tries to get a comment from Henrik Sass Larsen.

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