Stories about people in charge changing things for minorities are like buses: they come in clumps. In Denmark, there have been a few good news/bad news situations in a very short space of time. First up, the left-wing minister for social affairs and integration, Karen Hækkerup, has suggested that when young boys play truant from…
Denmark has a good global reputation. It is hyped as a tolerant, friendly, progressive nation with good public services (if high taxes): a bit like a cross between the Netherlands and Sweden. When Denmark makes the international news, there are two types of stories. The first is when Denmark is used as a watchword…
As the school lockouts are now a reality, there is a lot of confusion about what is going on and why it is happening. Many people are even calling it a ‘strike’, as if the unions have called for the action, when in reality it is the local government association, Kommunernes Landsforening (KL), which has…
Immigration is a difficult process, bureaucratically speaking. Proper checks must be made and that takes time. It is reasonable, immediately after a major rule change, if there are long waiting times as staff get to grips with new systems. But really though, what’s going on at the Immigration Service? Young people turning 18 who came…
Are the Danes racists?’ a new book by Henning Bech and Mehmet Ümit Necef asks. As with all titles that are questions, their answer is “no”. Which is just as big a generalisation as it would have been had their answer been “yes”. So how did they arrive at “no” and why are they even…
When I first arrived in Denmark as a lone immigrant, I continued to go home for Christmas. All I noticed at first about the Danish Christmas was that it smelled a bit different and was a little less commercialised, but otherwise it was the same as what I was used to. My view of Danish…
Birgitte Sonsby, a head teacher at an Odense school, recently told off a group of children and made national news. These children had apparently ruined a lesson and were laughing at her as she disciplined them. She lost control and said some things she regretted. I have been a teacher for a long time, and…
Why don’t you just go home?” It’s every immigrant’s ‘favourite’ question. This has been put to me in a myriad of ways. Sometimes as fake concern for my welfare. Sometimes aggressively. Often with genuine confusion. You can measure my Danish integration by how I’ve responded. At first, I responded with shock. Surely, you are not…
One question posed in the Danish Institute for Human Rights’ schools pack is: “What effect does repeatedly hearing the background of a criminal have on a reader?” A local bar may have answered that question when they decided to refuse entry to all African people. Tracing the bar’s logic is an exercise in frustration.…
More and more internationals are looking for jobs in Denmark. But only a few are recruited directly. Here, career consultant Kate Dahl shares her best advice for jobseekers.
The Northern Lights will be out tonight again
★★★★☆☆
