Denmark’s Minister for Immigration, Integration, and Housing recently said during an interview that immigration had made Denmark a less free nation.
Matthias Tesfaye, a Social Democrat with an Eritrean background, during a recent interview with the Danish weekly newspaper Weekendavisen, explained to the journalist how immigration into Denmark had led to less freedom in the society.
“Immigration has made Denmark a less liberal country. I mean that is indisputable. Had we not had 50 years of immigration, our legislation would have been far more liberal today,” the minister argued.
“The more immigration, the stronger a state regulation there must be, and that regulation applies to everyone. We probably have to recognize that in a time of migration,” Tesfaye said.
Tesfaye also noted that immigration had exerted a negative effect on the Danish tradition of private schools and that various restrictions had been placed upon private schools because of Islam.
“Not because of Danish or Jewish or Catholic schools, but Muslim private schools. We will also adopt a better distribution of high school students who will influence the free high school choice. It is a direct consequence of immigration and it affects everyone. I think it’s sad, but it’s better than getting involved with a liberal approach and watching the parallel communities grow.”
The freedom to choose which school one attends has resulted in students with non-western background gathering certain high schools, and this affects the youth culture and causes native-Danish youths to choose other high schools.
To combat this growing problem, Tesfaye backs a government’s proposal that would see foreign students distributed proportionally across Danish schools.
Finally, when the journalist asks if Denmark cannot survive as a liberal state due to immigration from the Middle East, Tesfaye replies, “Not the same as 30 years ago.”
Source: Danish integration minister: Immigration has led to a less free society – Voice of Europe
