How Denmark Does It

With all the turmoil in France and simmering tensions elsewhere in Europe, it’s useful to recall a piece that the indispensable site Remix published in February about how left-wing Denmark has done more to reduce immigration and to maintain its homogeneous European character than any other country in Europe. Details of Denmark’s astonishing success – and the strategies it uses that other EU countries would do well to emulate – here: “10 ways Denmark’s left-wing government reduced asylum applications by 82% and dramatically cut immigration,” by John Cody, Remix News, February 1, 2023:

The Danish left-wing government’s continued push against mass immigration is producing tangible results, including a dramatic reduction in asylum applications as well as a sharp reduction in overall immigration. The government continues to be unique in all of Europe, featuring the only ruling left-wing bloc seriously opposed to mass immigration.

The numbers speak for themselves, with an 82 percent drop in asylum applications recorded and overall immigration falling 28 percent, according to a new in-depth report from the Foundation for Political Innovation (Fondapol).

The various hurdles and restrictions enacted by the government have made Denmark far less attractive for immigrants, and have kept the country nearly entirely ethnic European, with the vast majority of the population of Danish descent.

Despite the lack of diversity in Denmark, the country is routinely ranked one of the happiest on Earth, and it excels in terms of per capita wages, quality of life, inequality measurements, corruption, crime rates, and a range of other important metrics.

Haven’t we all been told that “diversity” is the highest good, the summum bonum essential for our happiness? Isn’t it for the sake of “diversity” that our universities have instituted affirmative action, because “diversity” itself – so we are assured — provides an essential part “of the educational experience,” perhaps the most essential part, of a thoroughly modern education? Yet here is homogeneous little Denmark, which is consistently ranked the second happiest country in the world – after equally homogeneous Finland. Dare we think, could it be, that “diversity” is not quite as wonderful as we keep being told it is? Might it be, horribile dictu, that countries whose populations are homogeneous are happier than those that are not?

Many of the European countries run by the left-liberal establishment, which champions diversity as an intrinsic good, may want to examine the case of Denmark. Here are 10 ways the country has put a lid on immigration and satisfied the demands of a population opposed to more arrivals.

Migrants face restrictions at every level

French newspaper Le Figaro describes Denmark’s policies as “unimaginable in France, noting that “for 20 years, Denmark has been pursuing the same policy, initiated by the right wing when it came to power in 2001, never questioned, and even continued by the social-democratic left.”

Denmark’s policy is “characterized by a drastic reduction in migration flows, a demanding integration program, difficult access to nationality and, from now on, the willingness to use a third country outside Europe to process visa applications.”

According to the French paper, Denmark’s approach to immigration is described as “restrictive” at every level, including from the moment migrants enter the country to the point they apply for housing, social benefits, and work.

Many newly arrived Muslims in Europe claim to be “asylum seekers” and further claim that they should have a “right to remain,” a claim that is treated with the utmost seriousness, though in truth almost all of the Muslims now flooding into Europe are not “asylum seekers” – fleeing persecution and death — at all. They are, instead, economic migrants, seeking to obtain every benefit that the generous welfare states of Western Europe have on offer, including, but not limited to, free or highly subsidized housing, free medical care, free education, unemployment benefits (even without having any previous work history), family allowances, and more. In Denmark, sensibly, it is not so easy for Muslims to claim all this largesse.

Transparent data

While countries like Germany are racing to hide migrant crime, Denmark has the most transparent data on the topic of nearly any country in the Western world. It not only tracks migrant crime but also breaks down this data between European and non-European offenders.

According to the data, which was examined by French magazine RAGE, non-European migrants commit vastly more crimes than European migrants and Danish citizens. In fact, European migrants, such as those coming from Poland or Germany, are actually less likely to commit a crime than Danish citizens….

The fact that “non-European migrants commit vastly more crimes than European migrants and Danish citizens” is one of so many reminders of the truth of the conclusion that some of us reached years ago. It can’t be repeated often enough. To wit: the large-scale presence of Muslims in Europe has led to a situation that is far more unpleasant, expensive, and physically dangerous for the indigenous Europeans, and for other, non-Muslim immigrants, than would be the case without that large-scale presence.

Honest rhetoric

…the country’s socialist prime minister, Mette Frederiksen…said in 2020: “Every fifth young man with a non-Western background born in 1997 had broken the law before turning 21. It’s not everyone. But there are too many young men who take the freedom of others, steal children’s futures, intimidate prison guards – and leave behind a long trail of insecurity.”

“It has been going on for too many years. Girls who are called derogatory names because they are Danish. Or girls who are subjected to social control because they have become too Danish. A sausage cart in Brønshøj that is attacked with firecrackers because it sells pork,” she added.

Her candid description of the troubles Denmark faces from immigrant communities would not be out of place in a speech from France’s Marine Le Pen or from Hungary’s Viktor Orbán. Yet, Frederiksen’s rhetoric on the issue has also been backed by action, and given her left-wing credentials, she has been remarkably immune from criticism from the international press, even if there are occasional hit pieces directed at her.

Demanding integration policies

Denmark’s integration efforts are also extremely rigorous, requiring immigrants to have a command of the Danish language, agree to the country’s values, and know its history. If immigrants are unable to pass the necessary tests in these areas, they will not receive citizenship….

Tough policies that discourage immigration

Any migrant issued a prison sentence, even a suspended one, is permanently barred from ever obtaining Danish citizenship. In addition, asylum seekers who show up at the border with jewelry, cash, or any other belongings can have them confiscated in order to cover the costs of processing their asylum claims and housing them….

Islam is the religion of over 250,000 people now living in Denmark, but even if they have a Danish passport, they are not Danish. They do not think of themselves as Danes. They do not call themselves Danish, but rather as Muslims of Denmark. They are uninterested in the history of Denmark. They are instructed to believe that as Muslims they are the “best of peoples,” while the Danes, like all Infidels, are “the most vile of created beings.” They have no interest in integrating into the larger society of such people. Qur’an 5:51 tells them not to take “Jews or Christians as friends, for they are friends only with each other.” Why should Denmark go to great pains to welcome people with such attitudes?