DENMARK. The Danish and Iraqi governments recently reached an agreement permitting the forcible repatriation of rejected Iraqi asylum-seekers to their home country, Politiken.dk reports. There are currently 282 rejected Iraqi asylum-seekers in the country, 23 of them children. More than half of them have spent between 6 and 11 years in Danish asylum centers.
Yesterday around 30 rejected Iraqis sought refuge in a church in Copenhagen. “We are persecuted in Iraq, now we’re persecuted in Denmark as well. This is out last chance of getting protection,” their spokeswoman Anne said to the Ritzau news agency (Danish).
Soon a Facebook page was set up in support of the Iraqis called “The Iraqis in Our Lady Church” (“Irakerne i Vor Frue Kirke“) which just a little over 24 hours later counts more than 3.400 supporters. The number is currently growing by the minute (it grew by 200 new supporters just while I was working on this blog post).
“We are a group of people who neither can, nor will tolerate the dispatches. For this reason we support the group of Iraqi people who have applied for asylum in “Vor Frue” church in Copenhagen. As citizens, we must take action, when the Danish authorities fail in protecting people who need protection,” the page says and demands permanent residence permit for the Iraqis.
The Danish Refugee Council strongly criticizes the government’s decision. In a newsletter (Danish) the general secretary of the NGO, Andreas Kamm, says that Syria has dealt with Iraqi refugees far better than Denmark.
“Many of the Iraqi asylum-seekers Denmark now wants to send back to Iraq have been in the country for 5-10 years. For most of that time the situation in their country has been so unstable that the UN High Commissioner for Refugees has recommended that countries like Denmark give them protection. Denmark has ignored this. In stead the politicians have insisted that people go back to a country so clearly aflame”, says Andreas Kamm.
A growing group of activists supports the Iraqis by providing them with food, drink and other necessities. The church council has no plans of forcing the Iraqis out.
5 responses so far ↓
WilliamJansen // 16. May 2009 at 20:04 |
That was nice, informative and partial, which is your right.
Two additions that non-Danish readers should be made aware of:
1) A very similar action by Palestinian refugees in 1991/1992 led to asylum being granted, so there is a precedent for these on the surface ineffectively-looking means to work.
2) It is not just a church, it is probably the second most historical significant church in Denmark. It is THE church in Copenhagen. They are taking refuge in a cultural icon in the center of our capital. Think ‘refugees at The Lincoln Memorial’ or ‘asylum-seekers in Big Ben’ to get the picture.
Rasmus Ole Hansen // 19. May 2009 at 17:22 |
I don´t understand the hype. The refugees spokesman is a convicted drugsmugler. Of course he is going to be deported.
http://www.fyens.dk/article/377459:Indland-Fyn–Seks–rs-faengsel-til-narkosmuglere
Shay // 23. May 2009 at 17:38 |
Your upset about people who have NOTHING staying in and i quote ” a cultrural icon in the centre of our capital ” How infantile does that sound?? So what ??? THEY ARE FROM IRAQ FOR GOODNESS SAKE! U KNOW WHERE BOMBS LAND ON YOUR HEAD! HELLO ?? AND YOUR WORRIED ABOUT YOUR CULTURAL ICON ?? do u know how pathetic that sounds ??
peter // 30. May 2009 at 18:26 |
yep, “a very similar action by Palestinian refugees in 1991/1992 led to asylum being granted”.
That’s why it should not happen again.
75% of palestinians from 91/92 are on welfare, 45% have been convicted for criminality. Their children have a 60% criminality rate.
There must be better solutions than that!
peter // 30. May 2009 at 18:27 |
@4 I mean a better solution for the iraqis and Dk both.