Friisk Foriining
The Danish minority traditionally cooperates with the Friisk Foriining (Friesian Association).
Around 10.000 people in North Frisia and on the island of Heligoland speak Frisian. Moreover twice as many have passive knowledge of the language. The Frisian language is also spoken by 350.000 people in West Friesland (Netherlands) and about 2000 people in the Saterland in East Frisia between Hamburg and the Netherlands. The language is the decisive factor that unites all Frisians.
The Frisian ethnic group has the right to be protected and indorsed under article 5 of the constitution of the German state of Schleswig-Holstein. As early as 1988 a parliamentarian committee was established within the Schleswig-Holstein parliament (Schleswig-Holsteinischer Landtag) this “Committee for Frisian Community Issues” ensures that the minority has its own political voice within it. The rights of the Frisians in public life has been secured since 2004 by the Frisian Language Law. No person is discriminated against when they choose to become a member of the Frisian ethnic group. In addition, in 2005 a contact committee for the Frisians was established within the Federal German Parliament.
Friisk Foriining has about 600 members and regard themselves as being an ethnic-autochthonous minority within Germany like the Sorbs in Lusatia. The most imperative objective is to protect and to promote the Frisian language and its culture.
In cooperation with the Frisian youth organisation “Rökefloose” (“flock of ravens”, www.rökefloose.de) the Foriining arranges events for young people, leisure activities among other things. During these arrangements Frisian is spoken. Within education Friisk Foriining cooperates with the Dansk Skoleforening for Sydslesvig (Danish School Association of the Danish minority in Southern Schleswig). Skoleforening facilitates Frisian lessons in some of its schools besides runs the only school in which classes are conducted in Frisian on equal footing with Danish and German (www.risumskole.de). The Foriining also arranges tours to visit other language minorities in Europe and offers a so-called “Friisk Harfsthuuchschölj” for individuals and families every year. This “Harfsthuuchschölj” offers courses over a period of 5 days, usually in October. Interested parties can participate in various activities like computer workshops, story-writing, craft activities, history workshops etc.. All held in Frisian. Additionally, the Friisk Foriining broadcasts daily news in Frisian, which can be downloaded from www.friiskforiining.podspot.de. Since 2006 the Friisk Foriining organises every other year a European-wide film festival for movies produced in minority languages.
Until 1933 Friisk Foriining independently ran for elections. Its political party “Liste Friesland”, strengthened its cooperation with the Danish minority in 1945. In 1948, the Danes and the Frisians founded the “Südschleswiger Wählerverband” (www.ssw.de) in order to jointly look after their political interests. Nowadays one of the three SSW-representatives in the state parliament (Schleswig-Holsteinischer Landtag) is the Frisian Lars Harms.
