Thousands of Danes Protest Cancelling of Public Holiday

Demonstrators take part in a protest against the government's proposal to abolish a public holiday to help finance the defence budget in front of the Danish Parliament in Copenhagen, Denmark, on Feb. 5, 2023. The Ritzau Scanpix/Emil Helms via Reuters

COPENHAGEN—Thousands of people gathered in Copenhagen on Sunday to protest a bill put forward by the government to scrap a public holiday to help finance increased defense spending.

The demonstration was organized by the country’s biggest labor unions which oppose abolishing the Great Prayer Day, a Christian holiday that falls on the fourth Friday after Easter and dates back to 1686.