By UME
The well-known dictum in William Shakespeare’s drama “Hamlet”, namely Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. It is a bit lazy in the state of Denmark) probably does not apply in our days. On the contrary, you can hear pleasantly good news about the Nordic kingdom.
For example, renting a prison in Kosovo. Justice Minister Nick Hækkerup speaks plainly: This is a clear signal to people from third countries who should be expelled: Your future is not in Denmark, and you should therefore not serve your prison sentence there.
Or the plan to stop allowing alleged refugees to enter the territory in the future, but to handle the asylum procedure outside the country’s borders.
The intention to deport Syrians who have fled to the country to their homeland is also exemplary, because there is no need for protection in view of the – stable peaceful – situation there.
The trick is that all these things are carried out by a social democratic government. Although the cabinet of Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen does not have a parliamentary majority, it can rely on the support of members of patriotic groups in matters of security, asylum and crime.
Integration Minister is the son of an Ethiopian immigrant
The 41-year-old Mattias Tesfaye sees the light of day as the son of a political refugee from Christian Ethiopia in Aarhus, fits in exemplary (after compulsory school as an apprentice bricklayer) and has held the office of Minister of Integration since 2019. In an interview with the “Neue Zürcher Zeitung” (NZZ, print edition of 21 January 2022, page 32: The asylum system is part of the problem), Tesfaye takes positions that can hardly be surpassed in terms of clarity and common sense. The Social Democrat stands for what is probably the toughest immigration policy in Europe.
Of course, wage writers and the so-called civil society outdo each other in the form of tax-money-fattened NGOs with warning calls and horror news. The red government in Copenhagen, according to the tenor of the media lemmings, undermines European values and pursues a racist policy. For the critics, Denmark is a refuge peccatorum, i.e. a haven of sinners against the politically correct zeitgeist.
Mattias Tesfaye’s train of thought is refreshingly reasonable. Here are a few original quotes from the mouth of the lanky young head of department:
“If migration is not under control – and it was not from the 1980s onwards – low-income earners and poorly educated people will pay the highest price for integration that does not work. It is not the rich neighbourhoods that need to integrate the most children. Rather, it is the areas in which the classic social democratic voters live.”
About the year 2015:
“I was shocked by the many asylum seekers who came to Denmark, Sweden or Germany.”
About the refugees:
“Half of the asylum seekers in Europe are in no way vulnerable, and the majority of them are young men. If they are rejected, it causes a lot of problems and costs.”
About the nationality of the immigrants:
“When we analyze which groups of migrants contribute to a sustainable welfare state, we see that we have no problems with people from Thailand, China or India. They are net contributors to the Danish economy.”
About Mohammedan immigrants:
“More important [note: than the crime rate; Note.] is the lack of cultural integration: the willingness to live democratic values, to accept the equality of men and women, or that a religion is never above the law. Or that teens can marry whoever they want.”
So, among us, such an integration minister as Mattias Tesfaye would also be good for our homeland.
This article was first published by ZUR ZEIT, our partner in the EUROPEAN MEDIA COOPERATION.