QI | What Is The World's Most Civilised Conflict?

This clip is from QI Series N, Episode 2, 'North Norse' with Sandi Toksvig, Alan Davies, Lucy Beaumont, Rhod Gilbert and Jason Manford.

[BlueFlag]

It's all fun and games until one side arrives and finds a bottle of vodka...

[millomweb]

I have visions of a border line being placed the length of Hans Island and then a few other lines added to it to complete the tennis court.

[A_Simple_Neurose]

Imagine a bunch of soldiers doing expeditions to that rock and leaving something new every time... ends up being a sort of theme park

[greyjackal]

"The Danes don't like to be too belligerent."

Ragnar has entered the chat.

[songbird]

The amount of pride I felt when I knew the answer...

[anitadavidson]

I just love when a new video pops up. They always make me laugh or shake my head in bewilderment 😂

[alastairbrand]

In the early months of the Second World War, a lot of the early incidents were similarly civilised.
A few years ago, I visited the old fort which sits on the hill just above my house; one of the displays recounts an early confrontation between a Newhaven fishing boat (they still had to go out) and a German patrol vessel.
The Germans ordered the fishing boat to shut down their engine and prepare to be boarded. After a short "inspection" they were left with the quandary of what to do next. Impounding the boat was impractical, sinking it seemed unnecessary.... So they satisfied themselves with taking the flag.
It apparently struck the German crew that it was not fair to just take the flag and give nothing in return so they presented the crew of the fishing boat with a bottle of Schnapps (schnapps again!) then gave a friendly wave and departed.
This, was, obviously, durin the so-called phony war during the first few months of the conflict. But its a lovely story nonetheless.

[chrisstar]

now I want a protest pig called Ham-let.

[richardw]

Doesn't really seem like a conflict, more like a sport.

[I.amthatrealJuan]

If that is done in the Spratly islands dispute on the South China Sea, where there are competing claims from five nations, it would be a multi-cultural festivity.

[Thor.Jorgensen]

What's being mentioned in this video here is a bit misleading.
It was Canada that first sent their military to the island, via helicopter and men in (oddly enough) green camouflage, where they raised a Canadian flag on the island. The prime minister of Canada also announced that he visited the island, among many other Canadian border islands, and claimed that Hans island belongs to Canada. Although there is no footage of the prime minister has been there, only claims, so who knows.
Not that it matters.

Denmark responded by sending, not the military, but a group of fishermen, most of them wearing bright orange high-visibility jumpsuits and beanies, where they took down the flag, raised the Danish flag, and left a bottle of schnapps, predicting that they would be back. While the foreign minister of Denmark publicly spoke a message directed at the Canadian prime minister "If the Canadian prime minister wishes to visit Denmark, he is very welcome. But he must, like any person of any other country announce his arrival." (Roughly translated from Danish)

So yes, Canada took it much more seriously, and Denmark did not take it quite as seriously.
It was only after that that the "tradition" of leaving presents for one another started. And Canada wasn't being quite so civil about it at first.

[robnorris]

Sandi saying “Well, please, come on, pick something!” at the end is very inflammatory, for a Dane.

[NewMessage]

I was born in Canada, and I can tell you, it's pretty cutthroat up there nowadays. I went up to visit my folks last year, and when I went to the convenience store to buy some milk, the man in front of me didn't even try to tip his hat when he opened the door for me. Bedlam, I tell you.. Bedlam!

[stevenmannion]

Stephen Fry vs. James May MMA
Gesticulating vaguely towards the centre of the Octagon, "Would you be so kind as to walk over there and sort of..fall, somewhat melodramatically?" said them both.

[rileydavidson]

As a citizen of Canada I would be more than happy to have a park with danes on that island

[Mark-ljdj]

1:13 "running it" 😂😂😂 a rock in the sea

[derklempner]

If leaving a bottle of liquor for another person is considered a "conflict", then I'm Alexander the Great.

[SirMethos]

"But help yourself in burning your own"

In Denmark, burning the flag is(or at least was) actually the only properly respectful way to get rid of an old flag. We honestly never understood why, during the Muhammed drawings situation, the muslims burning the danish flag was supposed to be an insult.

[devingraves]

For once I was able to tell what the video was about from the title...

[jake-amirblumenfeldwitz]

This reminds of the joke that Lichtenstein has only had one war, they sent 5000 soldiers over the border, it lasted 45 minutes and 5001 came back cos they made a friend.