If you do not adapt to the original culture, they will not only move you out, but they will demolish your house. What at first sight sounds like a program of the far right is actually promoting – social democracy in one European country.
In early July, Denmark took over the rotating Presidency of the European Union after Poland. This means that this Scandinavian country will determine the next half -year. And while its main goals include, for example, the protection of minors on the Internet or strengthening self -sufficiency in defense, Denmark attracts attention, especially for plans to turn with migrants.
Despite the fact that Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, headed by the country on behalf of the Social Democrats – the left -wing party, Denmark is in one aspect of the traditional left. It is unknown to its strict anti -immigration rules, which critics even call discriminatory and in conflict with human rights.
These include, for example, the so -called “GETY Act”, or the “parallel companies” Act, according to which the Danes have the right to demolish housing units in those neighborhoods that have failed to merge well with the rest of society.
The level of successful integration is calculated on the basis of strict criteria divided into five categories. It is a rate of employment, crime, progress in education, the level of receiving social benefits, and finally the peace of inhabitants of unfinished origin, or children of these immigrants.
Thus, if the district is badly in two of the first four criteria and has at least 50 percent of the inhabitants of non -falling origin, the authorities have the right to intervene. They will encourage other people to move from or to these areas to engage more in the community, and if it fails, the demolition comes.
Frederiksen: Do you feel safe?
Frederiksen defends the decision to approach the “non -man” people. “If I ask people about security and their security concerns, many of them will answer that Russia and the defense of Europe are currently in the first place. However, security also applies to what is happening in your local community,” Danish Prime Minister told.
This law is currently located at the European Court of Justice, where it has been the subject of the lawsuit. The European Court of Justice has issued a preliminary statement in February. In it, the Croatian general lawyer Tamara ćapeta believes from a purely legal point of view that although “non -falling” are an ethnically diverse group, this group does not associate common elements that make up “ethnicity”, but rather how the Danes perceive them.
He claims that this group does not have the characteristics of the second group – the “Western”. It can thus be assumed that the court will identify the law as discriminatory.
Immigrant reception is no longer popular
Mette Frederiksen stood at the head of the Danish government in 2019. Her party was not the most popular. At a time when Donald Trump’s victory in the US began to become an increasingly popular populism against illegal migration, socio-democratic parties were rather retreating.
In European countries such as Italy, the Netherlands, Austria or Germany (extremely), the right -wing parties in the elections have been the best since the end of World War II. The British approved Brexit with the intention of reducing migration. And the aforementioned Donald Trump has built his political career on building a wall on the border with Mexico, currently leading perhaps the most strict wave of US deportations in decades.
Nowadays, it is a bit more demanding immigrant in the West than compared to 2015 to 2016. Germany, Sweden, but also Denmark at that time did not have a problem with the reception of people escaping from the war affected by Syria or Liby. The then German Chancellor Angela Merkel on a wave of new refugees in the country then expressed the well -known sentence: “We can do it.” (We make it)
As the current Danish politicians criticize, at that time no one asked voters whether they agree to the acceptance of immigrants. With regard to the current situation, the answer would probably be “no”. The German extreme right -wing AfD, thanks to the spread of anti -immigration rhetoric, ended the second in this year’s parliamentary elections. And dissatisfaction with failed integration and assimilation is increasing.
Integration has not been done
At that time, the not fully successful Danish left had to decide what to do with it. Despite the fact that Scandinavia is considered helpful, voters were obviously dissatisfied. One of the reasons is, for example, the fact that in social Denmark unemployed immigrants were given payments for resettlement, but they meant that their social benefits were higher than the benefits of the unemployed Danish. In a state where immigrants make up more than 12 percent of the population, dissatisfaction spread rapidly.
“Too many of them are not willing to integrate into our society,” the Prime Minister said about the situation of Denmark. Many new residents of the country have arrived from Muslim companies where women have different rights. For example, they could not work outside the house or freely decide who they would marry. The Danish, as a proponent of gender equality, was hindered by a gradually decreasing rate.
In addition, more than half of the pupils of kindergartens did not speak Danish in some elementary schools. According to Danish data, the crime rate among immigrants was also significantly higher than between the Danes, and the level of their employment was low.
Danish government data show that while immigrant families from India, Sri Lanka and Vietnam are doing well in school and labor market, families from Iraq, Syria, Lebanon and Palestinian territories are worse. Mattias Tesfaye, Danish Minister of Education, claims that ignoring these integration problems would be irresponsible.
Both mayors and ordinary citizens complained
The Social Democrats were more than a decade that supported immigration. Finally, as with the traditionally left -wing subject, its support for immigrants makes sense. Already in 2006, however, he published a text in which he points out with regard to the practices of Scandinavian countries that they will have to choose in the future. Indeed, diversity and welfare state cannot exist at the same time.
This was also pointed out by the mayors of Copenhagen suburbs and the surrounding villages. It was these immigrants in bulk for life. However, the coexistence of new and old people was not smooth. Mette Frederiksen has therefore turned and criticized the past of her party based on the support of growing migration. “They were truth,” she said about the mayors. “My party was supposed to listen.”
So the next three years they worked on creating a document entitled “”, “Righteous and Realistic”. The party published it in 2018 during the reign of the center -right coalition they defeated in the next year’s elections, based on three main pillars.
Social Democrats focused on stricter rules on entering the country, more consistent efforts to integrate immigrants into a Danish society and extend foreign aid to help people in other countries. They also approved immigration limitations introduced by the center -right government.
It looks like the right but it’s not the right
Although critics call these changes a right -wing voter, Frederiksen disagrees. The approach of the Social Democrats is intended to reduce inequality, which according to them will support the sense of belonging. As a result, citizens will feel more comfortable when paying high taxes to help their new neighbors.
It is the concerns about the collapse of the social system that powered a more critical approach to immigrants – not the tactical struggle for voters, as many believe. In the state based on the aid of citizens and high taxes, the feeling of community and confidence in the fair redistribution of finances is an important. “It’s something we do because we really believe it,” Frederiksen said for.
Does migration equal to inequality?
The Prime Minister for NYT described that the high level of immigration can undermine coherence and burden the working class. This load, such as tension in social benefits, crowded schools and the fight for housing and working place, can be avoided by richer voters.
“When too many people enter your company, you have to pay the price,” Frederiksen continues. “Those who pay the highest price are the working class or the lower social class. It is not – let me be completely direct – they are not rich people. They are not the ones with good salaries, good work.”
According to the Prime Minister, the Social Democrats believe that high immigration helps to cause economic inequality. According to her, their task should be, in particular, the effort to improve the life of the most vulnerable members of his own society.
Migration is no longer a topic
Since the Danes have chosen a party that has been unprecedented in political compass, the topic of migration from the political debate has almost disappeared. The Danes seem satisfied – they chose the Social Democrats for the second time.
“If we lose more choices – and maybe lose, of course, I don’t know – so it won’t be because of immigration,” Frederiksen said. By combining socialist themes and measures against excessive migration, her parties have succeeded in what most European countries are struggling with – to win over the extreme right.
The Danish People’s Party led in the last elections in 2022 so badly that it prompted the creation of a competing far -right party. She did not succeed the same.
However, it is questionable whether the far right is really defeated if the left adopt one of its key themes. Danish politicians behind the new policy explain that there is a difference between dissatisfaction with immigration and racism. It is the fear of the designation as a racist, according to them, defended not only the social democrats, but also other world leaders “take an objective attitude towards immigration policy”, Tesfaye thinks.
They try to discourage them from the way to Denmark
Thus, in order to discourage immigrants from coming to Denmark, the government has decided to significantly make it more difficult for the asylum to gain the process of obtaining the process. New requirements include that applicants must control Danish at high school level and pass a test with questions about history and culture. Moreover, the asylum rules have changed so that the temporary crisis in another country is no longer a reason for permanent residence in Denmark.
For example, this information also appeared in the Lebanese newspaper, warning of the strictness of Danish migration policy. Immigrants who decide to come to Denmark entertain valuables to cover the cost of their stay. Authorities also immediately avoid persons who do not meet the conditions for asylum.
In addition, the country in 2021 passed a law that could allow refugees to move to centers in partner countries outside the EU, such as African Rwanda. This proposal was later criticized by the European Commission.
