Knud Brix was subjected to celebrity stalking: 'She became fascinated by him'
In today's episode of Genstart, Knud Brix tells about the time he was stalked.
Knud Brix is currently editor-in-chief at Ekstra Bladet. Next year he will move to Kenya, where he will work as an Africa correspondent for DR. (Photo: © Linda Kastrup, Ritzau Scanpix) 45 minutes ago
In a major interview with Genstart, Knud Brix opens up about how, back in 2020, he was stalked by a woman. A woman who ended up both seeking out the editor-in-chief at his own home and trying to get a job at Knud Brix's son's school.
Before the stalking and harassment began, they had shared a bottle of wine at the editor-in-chief's home.
That became the starting point for what is known as celebrity stalking.
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Stalking in Denmark
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* Up to 100,000 Danes are subjected to stalking each year.
* 35 percent of victims are men.
* The Danish Stalking Center defines stalking as a systematic series of contact attempts and behavior that is unwanted and persistent and is experienced as boundary-crossing and intimidating for the victim.
* Stalking can occur in many ways and can include surveillance, unwanted phone calls, text messages, emails, threats, physical approach, and pursuit.
* Since 2022, stalking has had its own provision in the Criminal Code, which ensures that stalking can be punished – even if the stalker has not been issued a restraining order in advance.
Source: Danish Stalking Center and the Ministry of Justice
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How does celebrity stalking work?
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Celebrity stalking is characterized by a famous person, such as Knud Brix, being stalked by a person who, for a shorter or longer period, has followed the celebrity's public activities, explains PhD and science consultant at the Danish Stalking Center, Didde Hauch, on P1 Morgen.
- In this case, the stalker has listened to a lot of Genstart and formed an impression of Knud Brix. She became fascinated by him and found him appealing in a way that made her reach out.
And that creates an imbalance.
- On the other side, we have Knud Brix, who knows her only peripherally.
- So from the beginning, there seems to be a form of imbalance in the relationship between them. We have the celebrity, and we have the admirer, says Didde Hauch.
It is typically a fascination or an idea about the celebrity that creates a narrative in the stalker's mind, she explains.
- The stalker forms an impression in advance of who the other party is and begins, perhaps without being aware of it, to build on that narrative and act accordingly.
And in this case, Knud Brix has not had the same time and opportunity to form a relationship with the perpetrator, she explains.
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The more "common" form of stalking
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Celebrity stalking is more unusual than what is normally seen when it comes to stalking.
According to Didde Hauch, the most common form of stalking is what is called ex-partner stalking, where the victim and perpetrator know each other.
- They have either been in a relationship, dated, or had some form of intimate relationship.
- And that is not something you hear about as often in the media, where the slightly more spectacular celebrity cases often end up taking up a disproportionate amount of space, she says, emphasizing that these celebrity cases are quite rare in Denmark.
Back in 2022, stalking got its own place in the Criminal Code and was made punishable. This also meant that perpetrators of stalking can be punished, even if they have not been issued a restraining order in advance.
Since the provision came into force, there have been a total of 161 convictions under the provision in the period 2022-2024, of which 19 people were convicted solely on the basis of the stalking provision.
DR has presented the woman with Knud Brix's account of the events.
She responds:
- Actually, I would like to comment on everything, but I don't feel I get a real chance. It is boundary-crossing to have an otherwise closed chapter reopened in full public view without my consent.
- I can honestly say that I have never had evil intentions, and I would like to apologize to both Knud Brix and his wife for the harm I have potentially caused. There should be no doubt that I am not very proud, but I was in a difficult place in my life and acted out of powerlessness. Meeting Knud was a real misfortune for me, but Knud has nothing to fear. Perhaps our story can open up an important discussion about stalking and serve as a starting point for helping the many people who get caught in these dysfunctional spirals.
You can hear the full interview with Didde Hauch here:
Warning: This article was translated by a Large Language Model, in case of doubt, you can always visit the original source.