Denmark has shrugged off as "misunderstood" growing international protest over a new Bill forcing asylum seekers to hand over valuables to qualify for welfare.
Ahead of a January 26th vote on the measure, Danish prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen described the proposal as “the most misunderstood Bill in Danish history”.
It will allow Danish authorities to seize cash and valuables above 10,000 kroner (€1,340) each from asylum seekers, though wedding rings and other items of sentimental value will not be included. Danish integration minister Inger Støjberg said there had been “many misunderstandings, sometimes deliberate” over measures she said would put asylum seekers on an equal footing as unemployed Danes.
They only qualify for welfare if they first sell assets above a certain level and live off the proceeds of the sale.
The initial Bill foresaw a cash limit for asylum seekers of 3,000 kroner before being raised to 10,000.
Denmark’s former chief rabbi, Bent Melchior, said the initial proposal “had the character of what was actually in force during the Nazi persecution of minorities”.
Declare wealth
Integration researchers pointed out that Danes were asked to declare their wealth while asylum seekers faced being searched for valuables.
The UN high commission for refugees (UNHCR) suggested the government’s welfare argument was disingenuous, as asylum seekers often sold everything they owned before fleeing their homes.
“It beggars belief that somebody would want to strip them away from the little they have managed to salvage from their lives,” said William Spindler, a UNHCR spokesman.
The UN agency noted Denmark’s long record of assisting those in need of protection, but criticised other measures in the bill to delay family reunifications by up to three years, to toughen up some residency permit criteria and shortening the duration of others.
Though Denmark’s minority cente-right government has a parliamentary majority, including support of the far- right Danish People’s Party, some members of the ruling Venstre party have warned the proposal raised questions about “proper policy and humanity, but also Denmark’s international reputation”.
Amid the controversy, Denmark has extended border spot checks with Germany for another 20 days, after it introduced the measure in response to full border checks introduced by Sweden on January 4th. Announcing the extension, Denmark’s immigration ministry said there was “still a risk” that, unable to get into Sweden, “a large number of illegal immigrants will accumulate in Denmark”. After accepting about 21,000 asylum seekers last year, the centre-government in Denmark is under domestic political pressure with numbers forecast to rise to 25,000 in 2016.
Meanwhile, a 15-year-old Danish girl who converted to Islam appeared in a closed court on Thursday charged under anti-terrorism laws with possessing explosives and sanctioning terror. The unnamed girl was arrested on Wednesday afternoon in her home on the Danish island of Zealand. Neither police nor security services have commented on the case, though one unnamed official said it was yet unclear whether the girl acted alone or if other suspects were still at large.
