The Danish government has strongly indicated that it doesn’t want to harbor migrants. To ensure its stand is clear, Denmark’s administration released advertisements in local newspapers that announced significant reductions in the “assistance” extended towards the refugees.
Denmark placed advertisements in four Lebanese newspapers stating the revised regulations and cuts in provisions extended towards migrants or those seeking asylum in the country. The advertisements, published in Arabic and English, outline the newly enacted stricter laws meant to strongly discourage migrants from seeking political domicile.
In an effort to strongly hint that Denmark should be viewed as an undesirable destination for migrants, the local government confirmed that social assistance for newly arrived refugees was being reduced by up to 50 percent, reported MSN .
Additionally, those who do qualify for asylum would not have the right to family reunification for the first year of their residence. Moreover, those who wish to stay in the country will have to mandatorily learn and be able to speak and understand Danish. If that’s not all, the Danish government will deploy a “special return center for rejected asylum-seekers to ensure (they)… leave Denmark as quickly as possible,” stated the advertising. The new policy has already come into effect from this week.
#Denmark ’s advertising campaign to deter refugees out today in ten languages. Here is the English version. #dkpol pic.twitter.com/7pk7dvo1aA
— Justin Cremer (@MrJustinCremer) September 7, 2015
It’s quite apparent that the Danish government is significantly hardening its stand on immigration laws. Interestingly, this move also highlights the varied ways European countries are viewing and handling the rising migrant crises developed due to rise of organized global terrorism orchestrated by factions like ISIS or the Islamic Caliphate and Boko Haram.
The migrants are mostly Syrians who are trying to survive the conflict that has devastated their homeland and turned it into a battlefield. These escapees from their own land, have either taken the sea-route to reach northern Europe or have resorted to the much more difficult land-route through the Balkans and Hungary. It is estimated that almost 400,000 Syrians have been knocking on the doors of various European countries as landless migrants. The situation is far worse in Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan and Egypt, whose governments are trying to manage almost 4 million migrants, according to UNHCR .
While Denmark has indicated it won’t tolerate migrants, Germany, Sweden, Greece, and the UK pledged to take in more refugees fleeing conflict areas, reported Canada Journal . Many of the local activists and political figures have denounced the advertisements, stating they are “ashamed” of the campaign by their Danish government to dissuade migrants from knocking on their doors.
Some experts estimate that half of the Syrian population has been displaced internally. With such restrictive policies, who will offer them a safe sanctuary?
[Image Credit | Louisa Gouliamaki / Getty Images]
