Wednesday

29th Mar 2023

Opinion

'Discriminated, dehumanised' - Denmark's Syrian refugees

  • In January, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen told parliament said that the government's goal is to have 'zero asylum-seekers coming to Denmark' (Photo: News Oresund)

When Majdaleen Abu Naboot came to Denmark in September 2015, she was told she would be "safe" in the Scandinavian country.

New set of opportunities, a secure future and some friends. Naboot was hopeful and at last succeeded in starting a new life in Denmark over the past six years, leaving behind a tumultuous past marred by horrors of civil war in Syria.

Read and decide

Join EUobserver today

Become an expert on Europe

Get instant access to all articles — and 20 years of archives. 14-day free trial.

... or subscribe as a group

But now a cloud of fear and uncertainty looms over her head again as her newly constructed life could end any time in the wake of the recent "hard decisions" — as she calls them — taken by the Danish government.

Originally from Daraa, Naboot tells me that most of her family back home is in prison fighting the regime. "We know Syria better than anyone. We will be killed by the dictatorial regime if we go back," she bemoans, visibly worried, at a protest demonstration in Aarhus.

"Say it loud, say it clear, refugees are welcome here!" chants reverberated as hundreds showed up in solidarity in the heart of Denmark's second-largest city.

Anti-immigrant discourse is on the rise in Danish government circles, and Syrian refugees are bearing the brunt. Their lives were never easy and now with the Danish government's decision to revoke residency permits of over 200 Syrian asylum seekers and shift asylum responsibility to third countries, their prospects of coming to Denmark or living in peace here are bleaker than ever. They fear being sent back to the war-torn country.

Many have staged a sit-in in the capital Copenhagen since May that is likely to continue for the rest of June, refusing to go back. "Syria is not safe" they insist. Some shared their stories of struggle with me.

Naem Khori [name changed on the source's request to protect privacy] for nearly six years now has been living in Denmark as an asylum-seeker, trying to make the most of the available working opportunities. Khori, 26, came to Denmark in 2016 in search of a better life. "The biggest problem I faced when I first came here was settling at a place I was sent to," he recalls.

Khori shares that he was sent to Farsø, a town in Denmark, "in the middle of nowhere" to learn Danish where people were "not so welcoming" and the only residents he could interact with were other asylum-seekers; a step that in his view defeats the possibility of integration with the rest of society — a problem he feels already existed in Denmark and wasn't dealt with - leading to the current more radical steps by the government.

Khori feels pessimistic about the anti-immigrant discourse in the country's corridors of power that are only seeming to gain momentum.

"I think it is all getting worse. If you take a look at the noteworthy political parties in Denmark, the biggest argument they have is usually the immigration policy and that always keeps immigrants in the shadow of fear over what may happen next," he tells me, pointing to an environment of uncertainty.

Rihab Kassem, a 66-year-old refugee grandmother, is going through even worse.

Her residency permit has been revoked as the Danish government now considers Damascus and the surrounding areas safe to return. Kassem told Amanda Magnani and Fernanda Seavon of Al Jazeera that she has nothing in Syria, her family is in Denmark and she is the only one asked to leave. Kassem's lungs operate at 35 percent of their capacity - and since her status has changed, she is no longer entitled to healthcare in Denmark, exasperating her woes.

More 'externalisation'

The Danish government backs its externalisation plans of processing asylum requests outside and claims they are necessary for the "safety" of migrants which it states will prevent them from travelling in dinghies and risking lives in the Mediterranean.

The Danish government signed a memorandum of understanding with Rwanda — a third country — to set the framework for future negotiations and cooperation.

As far as revocation of permits is concerned, no justification has been made and no justification seems justifiable to the rational mind.

In January, Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen told parliament said that the government's goal is to have "zero asylum-seekers coming to Denmark.

"We must make sure that not too many people come to our country. Otherwise, our unity can not exist. It has already been challenged," she said; a statement her critics say was aimed at pleasing populist public sentiment.

This corresponds with the decreasing number of asylum-seeking requests in Denmark that registered only 1,547 applications in 2020, a decline of 43 percent from 2019 and lowest annual number since 1998, according to official figures.

Rights activists criticise the recent steps and point towards a deeper problem concerning discrimination, Islamophobia and the fear of "non-western" values in Denmark that have been resurrected once again.

"The main issue for our politicians is Muslims. This is about Islam," Anemone Sami, a Danish activist, tells me, calling the government's policies as "racist" and urging solidarity with Syrian refugees whose faith and "non-western" background have complicated matters for them.

One thing becomes clear, Denmark is at the crossroads between the 'tolerant values' it takes pride in and the very illiberal laws its politicians are backing through dehumanisation of Syrian refugees.

If a developed country like Denmark with a long tradition of respect for human rights turns its back on refugees, it will not set a good precedent for the host countries in the humanitarian work that they are doing or are capable of.

Author bio

Allia Bukhari is a journalist based in Denmark and an Erasmus Mundus scholar.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this opinion piece are the author's, not those of EUobserver.

Denmark threatens Syria deportations amid EU concerns

Denmark is stripping Syrians of residency rights - the first country in the EU to do so - amid threats to deport them back home. The EU did not comment directly, but warned that Syria is not safe.

Hundreds of European children remain stuck in Syria

Nearly 230 women and 600 children with EU and UK nationalities remain stuck in dire conditions at camps in north-east Syria. An internal EU document warns of radicalisation if nothing is done to help them.

EU commission takes stand against Danish asylum law

EU home affairs commissioner Ylva Johansson has taken a firm stand against outsourcing asylum to other parts of the world. Her comments follow a recent Danish law that aims to stop asylum seekers from filing claims in Denmark.

Feature

Third-time lucky for one Syrian grandmother in Denmark

In Denmark, Syrian men aged 18-42 are protected against returning, as they would be conscripted into the army, while many women, children and elderly Syrian refugees are having their asylum revoked.

Column

What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking

Perhaps even more surprising to the West was the fact that the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal was not brokered by the United States, or the European Union, but by the People's Republic of China. Since when was China mediating peace agreements?

Dear EU, the science is clear: burning wood for energy is bad

The EU and the bioenergy industry claim trees cut for energy will regrow, eventually removing extra CO2 from the atmosphere. But regrowth is not certain, and takes time, decades or longer. In the meantime, burning wood makes climate change worse.

Column

What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking

Perhaps even more surprising to the West was the fact that the Iran-Saudi Arabia deal was not brokered by the United States, or the European Union, but by the People's Republic of China. Since when was China mediating peace agreements?

Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity

From the perspective of international relations, the EU is a rare bird indeed. Theoretically speaking it cannot even exist. The charter of the United Nations, which underlies the current system of global governance, distinguishes between states and organisations of states.

Latest News

  1. EU approves 2035 phaseout of polluting cars and vans
  2. New measures to shield the EU against money laundering
  3. What does China really want? Perhaps we could try asking
  4. Dear EU, the science is clear: burning wood for energy is bad
  5. Biden's 'democracy summit' poses questions for EU identity
  6. Finnish elections and Hungary's Nato vote in focus This WEEK
  7. EU's new critical raw materials act could be a recipe for conflict
  8. Okay, alright, AI might be useful after all

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. EFBWWEFBWW and FIEC do not agree to any exemptions to mandatory prior notifications in construction
  2. Nordic Council of MinistersNordic and Baltic ways to prevent gender-based violence
  3. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Economic gender equality now! Nordic ways to close the pension gap
  4. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: Pushing back the push-back - Nordic solutions to online gender-based violence
  5. Nordic Council of MinistersCSW67: The Nordics are ready to push for gender equality
  6. Promote UkraineInvitation to the National Demonstration in solidarity with Ukraine on 25.02.2023

Stakeholders' Highlights

  1. Azerbaijan Embassy9th Southern Gas Corridor Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting and 1st Green Energy Advisory Council Ministerial Meeting
  2. EFBWWEU Social Dialogue review – publication of the European Commission package and joint statement of ETUFs
  3. Oxfam InternationalPan Africa Program Progress Report 2022 - Post Covid and Beyond
  4. WWFWWF Living Planet Report
  5. Europan Patent OfficeHydrogen patents for a clean energy future: A global trend analysis of innovation along hydrogen value chains

Join EUobserver

Support quality EU news

Join us