It’s a harsh winter of discontent for refugees in Europe. More European states are now adopting measures to shut their doors to asylum seekers and those who have already entered are made to feel that they are not as welcome as before. The public outrage in Europe sparked by the mass molestation of women during the New Year celebrations at Cologne in Germany, allegedly committed by refugees, is now calcifying into concrete measures against refugees who are fleeing conflict and chaos in the Middle East and Africa.
Denmark has become the latest European country to enact a bill to deter refugees from seeking asylum despite protests from international rights groups. The measures include confiscating the valuables of refugees to pay for their stay. Under this ‘jewellery bill’, refugees can now only keep possessions amounting to $1,450, though valuables of special emotional value such as wedding rings will be exempt. In another tough measure, family reunification among refugees has been extended from one year to three years. The bill presented by the centre-right minority government of prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen was approved by 81 of the 109 lawmakers present and even members of the opposition Social Democrats backed the measures, which shows the near unanimity in the country about the need for these tough measures.
Denmark, which took in 20,000 refugees last year, is not the only Nordic country trying to shut its doors to migrants. Sweden, which took in a record 160,000
refugees last year, the most per capita in Europe, introduced checks on its border to Denmark at the start of the year. Norway has been trying to send back refugees who crossed over from Russia, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that Moscow would not take them back. And Denmark is also not alone in confiscating migrants’ valuables. Switzerland has started taking valuables from asylum seekers over $985, the German state of Baden-Württemberg valuables above $380, while other southern states have been reported to do the same. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was showered with praise for spreading the red carpet to asylum seekers, has seen her popularity slide due to her generous gesture. There are also calls for suspending the Schengen system for two years until the migrant crisis is over.
It’s unfortunate that Europe is closing its doors on migrants after some unfortunate incidents of crime. European leaders must approach the issue more cautiously and should not succumb to the propaganda of anti-immigrant parties. There is nothing wrong with increasing the checks on asylum seekers, but those who deserve a new life should not be turned down.
It’s a harsh winter of discontent for refugees in Europe. More European states are now adopting measures to shut their doors to asylum seekers and those who have already entered are made to feel that they are not as welcome as before. The public outrage in Europe sparked by the mass molestation of women during the New Year celebrations at Cologne in Germany, allegedly committed by refugees, is now calcifying into concrete measures against refugees who are fleeing conflict and chaos in the Middle East and Africa.
Denmark has become the latest European country to enact a bill to deter refugees from seeking asylum despite protests from international rights groups. The measures include confiscating the valuables of refugees to pay for their stay. Under this ‘jewellery bill’, refugees can now only keep possessions amounting to $1,450, though valuables of special emotional value such as wedding rings will be exempt. In another tough measure, family reunification among refugees has been extended from one year to three years. The bill presented by the centre-right minority government of prime minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen was approved by 81 of the 109 lawmakers present and even members of the opposition Social Democrats backed the measures, which shows the near unanimity in the country about the need for these tough measures.
Denmark, which took in 20,000 refugees last year, is not the only Nordic country trying to shut its doors to migrants. Sweden, which took in a record 160,000
refugees last year, the most per capita in Europe, introduced checks on its border to Denmark at the start of the year. Norway has been trying to send back refugees who crossed over from Russia, but Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said yesterday that Moscow would not take them back. And Denmark is also not alone in confiscating migrants’ valuables. Switzerland has started taking valuables from asylum seekers over $985, the German state of Baden-Württemberg valuables above $380, while other southern states have been reported to do the same. German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who was showered with praise for spreading the red carpet to asylum seekers, has seen her popularity slide due to her generous gesture. There are also calls for suspending the Schengen system for two years until the migrant crisis is over.
It’s unfortunate that Europe is closing its doors on migrants after some unfortunate incidents of crime. European leaders must approach the issue more cautiously and should not succumb to the propaganda of anti-immigrant parties. There is nothing wrong with increasing the checks on asylum seekers, but those who deserve a new life should not be turned down.
