Slide 1: Who are these immigrants in question?

Post WII Growth Period:

1. Early 1970s: Immigrants invited from Turkey, Pakistan, Morocco into Manufacturing and
Agricultural Sectors
2. 1980s: Refugees from Iran, Iraq, Palestine
3. 1990s: Refugees from Somalia, Bosnia
Why was Denmark reliant on immigration?

- Population growth due to low domestic fertility rate of 1.7

- To fill undesirable blue collar jobs
Now: Asylum seekers and Refugees

- Escape from civil wars in their respective countries

- To seek a new life, especially since Denmark is an attractive state known for its high welfare
spending
Slide 3: Challenges
1) Political Climate and Involvement

- Left-wing Socialist vs Right-wing Activist

- Leading political party/ government: Venter (Centre-right)
- Increasing support for anti-immigration parties
i.

In Sweden, the anti-immigration Sweden Democrats party has soared in popularity,

polling at about 20% in recent polls. Before 2010, the party had not won a single seat in
the country's parliament.
ii. Believed to be due to increased violence and a rising Islamist threat, which the party
blamed on the new arrivals

- In Jan 2016, Parliament approved new laws that will drastically curb refugees rights:
i.
ii.
iii.
iv.

3-year delay for family reunifications

Provision for police to confiscate refugees valuables
Significant reduction of benefits for refugees
Defended as a justifiable response to domestic concern about the impact of refugees on
social cohesion

- Current Political Stance?

Slide 4: Challenges

2) Rising Xenophobia towards Muslims

Protests by Muslims
since 2005 due to
Danish governments
support of a
newspaper that had
published satirical
depictions of the Prophet
Mohammed

(Iraqi Shiite Muslims stomp on a painting of the Danish flag denouncing the country's publication of
a cartoon of Muhammad in February 2006)

Asylum seekers contributed to increasing Islamic population in Denmark

High-profile crimes blamed on migrants
Increasing social tensions
Influence by right-wing political party, DPP

Slide 5: Challenges
3) Poor Integration Policies
Immigrants:

- As globalisation progressed, more jobs required higher qualifications which the immigrants were
unable to meet without adequate education

- Unemployment rates for immigrants increase, resulting in immigrants feeling unwelcome and
excluded
Danes:

- Immigrants perceived to disrupt ethnic homogeneity, not sharing values common to traditional
secular Danish society

- At the same time, socialist welfare policies are distributing wealth to the poorer strata of the
society, consisting of majority migrants

- Thus, Danes began questioning who benefited from their high taxes and Social Security
payments, which started at 42% and reached 68% for top earners

- Increasing anti-immigration sentiments