Posted on 05/29/2002 4:38:55 PM PDT by blam
Denmark ready to adopt strictest asylum law in EU
By Roger Boyes
DENMARK is about to vote in one of Europe’s toughest asylum laws today, while shrugging off charges that it is creating a racist society. The law cuts benefits, restricts the right to marry and discourages the arrival of any refugee over the age of 60. It is expected to come into effect on July 1, the day on which Denmark takes over the six-month presidency of the European Union, which is committed to putting immigration at the top of the agenda.
The measures have already sent tremors across the Continent. Mona Sahlin, Sweden’s Immigration Minister, has written a joint letter with her French and Belgian counterparts to express their deep concern about the law.
Denmark’s transition from Europe’s most liberal asylum regime to one of its strictest began under the previous Social Democratic Government. It set up deportation camps for any asylum-seeker caught committing a crime, even a minor offence such as shoplifting.
The new centre-right Government in Copenhagen depends on the support of the Danish People’s Party, a populist right-wing grouping that won 12 per cent of the vote in last winter’s elections. Pia Kjaersgaard, its leader, told Danish television last week: “Asylum-seekers are often under-educated and illiterate. I don’t need them.
“Muslims,” she said, “have a ‘taste’ for committing mass rape.”
The draft law, already tough, was made even more restrictive under her influence. Asylum-seekers will receive full social benefits only after seven years of residence, although they can take jobs to make up their income.
Bertel Haarder, the Europe Minister, said: “Refugees here get such big financial support from the moment of their arrival that they do not have an incentive to seek a job. Our problem is that we have too many jobless foreigners living on social benefits.”
In order to stop arranged marriages between asylum-seekers in Denmark and others still in their homeland, foreigners will be allowed to marry only after the age of 24.
Spouses will not be allowed to join their partners in Denmark unless they have a sufficiently large apartment and income. A foreigner must have at least €7,000 (£4,460) in his Danish bank account before he can even ask to bring his wife into the country.Any foreigner with debts will not be given a right of residence. The upper age limit for asylum-seekers of
60 is intended to prevent foreigners already established in Denmark from bringing in their parents. Permanent residence will be granted only to those who have lived legally in Denmark for seven years and have not left the country during that period. Previously the requirement was three years.
The language requirements are strict. To secure a residence permit, the foreigner will have to pass a test equivalent to the linguistic ability of a 14-year-old Danish schoolchild.
Compared with most member states of the European Union, Denmark has a tiny number of asylum- seekers, barely 12,000. The Danes, however, are joining a scramble among European countries to toughen asylum and immigration requirements and steer asylum-seekers elsewhere. This political competition is undermining attempts to create a common asylum policy and, indeed, was prompted partly by the concern that a liberal European asylum regime would be put into place eventually.
Technically, asylum policies in Europe are “harmonised”, but in practice each country is developing its own approach.
Germany has been insisting that no child over the age of 12 should be allowed to join immigrant parents, on the ground that it is possible to integrate only younger children successfully. Almost every other country, including Austria, which has imposed very strict language demands, allows children up to the age of 18 to join their families.
Denmark argues that it is merely correcting over-generous policies towards asylum-seekers and says that it remains open to highly skilled, well educated, young immigrant workers.
The Swedes, however, believe that Denmark has broken the spirit of Scandinavian openness towards foreigners. Göran Persson, the Swedish Prime Minister, described the Danish law as inhumane and Ms Sahlin told Copenhagen: “At a time when xenophobic parties in Europe are on the rise, it is terrifying that the Danish Government is giving them some legitimacy.”
The Swedish response is partly conditioned by the fact that it is in the middle of an election campaign. The ruling Social Democrats fear that they may lose power if immigrants start heading for Sweden instead of Denmark.
Germany is also set for an election campaign focused on immigration, and is likely to adopt restrictive new immigration measures in June.
Europe ought to sit up and pay attention to Denmark instead of making accusations of any kind.
The pendulum is starting to swing the other way.
Yeah because those scammers headed for Denmark are going to change plans and head for Sweden! Ha ha ha! I love it!
...and rapidly too!
With Mexicans, we, not they, MUST determine who and under what conditions. We are all immigrants and Mexicans can certainly make contributions. They work hard and in two/three generations (although, the USMC can today raise deadly regiments from the barrios of Los Angeles, Laredo, San Antonio and other cities- a green card is given for military service), they will defend the Yankee flag as vigorously as do the sons Italian, German, Polish etc. immigrants. But, those of us who are already here have the absolute right to detrmine who will join us.
SANITY = RACISM
Whether the Euroweenies in Brussels want to admit it or not, the working men and women of Europe are not going to simply sit back and watch their nations dissolve into third-world cess-pits.
I dont know if anyone else cought that, but that more or less says it all right there.
Count on protests, composed of "radicals" but micromanaged by the mainstream left wing parties.
They left establishment doesnt want to lose its power or monopoly on politics. And like the assasination of Pim Fortuyn and Italy's labor minister proves, they may not come out and advocate outright violence to keep their monopoly, but they will give wink at it when it does happen.
Ya know, I've been wondering why that doesn't show up here, in the States, and I think I've got 3 reasons.
1) We assimilate immigrants better because, for all the financial benefits immigrants recieve here, the quickest way to get ahead in the USA is to have a job or start a business. Immigrants can start a business much easier here, and get ahead. An entrepreneur or employee in America gets further ahead of the average welfare recipient than does his counterpart in Europe. In other words, more economic opportunity= faster and more thorough integration into the norms of our society.
2) The Second Amendment. Chicks with guns. What more can be said about the deterrent effect?
3) Jury Nullification. If a husband or father hunted down 3 or 4 people of any persuasion who definitely gangraped their female relative, he stands a reasonable chance of being acquitted. I know I'd lie my ass off to get on the jury and acquit.
There are now slums in formerly-safe Stockholm this idiot wouldn't dare walk through - thanks to his ilk's insane nation-destroying immigration policies.
Denmark is not a country open for immigration, and the DF will not accept that Denmark develops into a multi-ethnic society. We therefore demand a revision of all laws regarding immigration and foreign policy since the implementation of the Immigration Law in 1983. We also demand the Integration Law abolished. Denmark cannot accommodate the whole world. The free access to Denmark undermines our welfare. We do not wish for the Danish people to become a minority in their own country. Refugees should be sent home as soon as it is possible. Criminal immigrants should be deported immediately after served sentence. The right of family reunification should be abolished, and the mass allocation of Danish citizenship should come to an end.
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