Refugees arriving, but most plan on moving on

New arrivals plan to go further north

About 300 refugees arrived in Rødby in southern Zealand yesterday. Only 64 of those requested asylum in Denmark and were transferred by bus to the Sandholm asylum centre. Another 166 people were accommodated at two hotels in Rødby and have said they plan to travel on to places like Sweden or Finland.

READ MORE: First wave of refugees hits Denmark

Local authorities said they had never experienced such an influx of refugees in one day. While there is not yet an overview of where the refugees came from, the majority seem to have made their way from Syria, with a handful from Iraq and Africa.

One group who tried to continue on their own along the railway tracks was stopped by police and taken to a hotel.

Some in the wind
John Andersen from South Zealand and Lolland-Falster Police said that some refugees may have slipped away.

“We cannot deny that some have slipped into the country,” Andersen told DR Nyheder. “But if so, it is because they do not want to be registered here and are moving on to other countries.”

DSB has instructed engineers to drive carefully along the tracks because refugees will most likely be following them while on their journey.

Plenty of room
Red Cross officials said there is room to receive hundreds of refugees seeking asylum.

“We purchased extra duvets and mattresses,” said Anne La Cour, the head of the asylum section of the Danish Red Cross, which is responsible for the operation of the Sandholm centre near Birkerød.

“There are a number of centres around the country that can be opened rapidly, so there are some places. It will be fine.”

Refugees also turned up in Funen and Jutland yesterday. Funen police reported that 15 out of the 21 refugees who arrived at Odense station have applied for asylum in Denmark.

Police are looking into what happened to the remaining six.

Moving on
Refugees are expected to continue turning up in Denmark, but Swedish police said they think most will view it as a halfway station, much like Hungary, and will then move on to seek asylum in Sweden and Norway.

While the number of asylum-seekers in Denmark is actually steady or less than in recent years, both Sweden and Norway are currently seeing numbers not seen since the Yugoslav Wars in the 1990s.

READ MORE: Breaking news: First wave of refugees hits Denmark

“I do not think there are many who want to stop in Denmark,” Swedish border police commissioner Leif Fransson told Jyllands-Posten. “Denmark is a transit country like Hungary.”

TOP STORIES

  • Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    Bestselling author of ‘The Year of Living Danishly’ Helen Russell on why she moved back to the UK after 12 years

    After more than a decade living in Denmark, Russell shares why she made the move, how she’s coping, what she already misses, and the exciting new projects she’s working on. “It’s been a very tough decision. I love Denmark, and it will always hold a special place in my heart,” she says.

  • Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    Denmark launches first AI supercomputer

    The new Gefion AI supercomputer is one of the world’s fastest and will accelerate research and provide new opportunities in Danish academia and industry.

  • Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Navigating big love, big moves and big feelings

    Experts believe it takes seven years to move into a new culture, according to leading Danish psychologist Jette Simon and therapist Vibeke Hartkorn. For expat couples, the challenges of starting a new life together in Denmark can put pressure on relationships, but emotions-focused therapy can help.

  • More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    More and more Danes are working after retirement age

    Politicians debate a lot these days about when you can retire. The reality shows that an increasing number of Danes like to work, even if they can withdraw from the labor market. Financial incentives help.

  • Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Environmental activist fears death in prison if extradited to Japan

    Canadian-born environmental activist Paul Watson has been in prison in Greenland for almost 100 days awaiting an extradition decision for a 14-year-old offence against a Japanese whaling vessel that he calls a “minor misdemeanor”. The 73-year-old had previously passed through Ireland, Switzerland, Monaco, France and the USA without trouble, before Greenlandic police arrested him in July.

  • Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    Denmark too slow to ease recruitment rules for non-EU service workers, say industry associations

    When the Danish government in January presented the first of its schemes to make it easier to recruit foreign labour from outside the EU, it was hailed by the healthcare and service sectors as a timely and important policy shift. But while healthcare changes have been forthcoming, the service sector is still struggling, say the directors of the industry association Dansk Industri and one of the country’s largest private employers ISS.

Connect club

Connect Club is your gateway to a vibrant programme of events and an international community in Denmark.

Sign up here

Career

  • Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    Come and join us at Citizens Days!

    On Friday 27 and Saturday 28 of September, The Copenhagen Post will be at International Citizen Days in Øksnehallen on Vesterbro, Copenhagen. Admission is free and thousands of internationals are expected to attend

  • Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Diversifying the Nordics: How a Nigerian economist became a beacon for inclusivity in Scandinavia

    Chisom Udeze, the founder of Diversify – a global organization that works at the intersection of inclusion, democracy, freedom, climate sustainability, justice, and belonging – shares how struggling to find a community in Norway motivated her to build a Nordic-wide professional network. We also hear from Dr. Poornima Luthra, Associate Professor at CBS, about how to address bias in the workplace.

  • Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality launches support package for accompanying spouses

    Lolland Municipality, home to Denmark’s largest infrastructure project – the Fehmarnbelt tunnel connection to Germany – has launched a new jobseeker support package for the accompanying partners of international employees in the area. The job-to-partner package offers free tailored sessions on finding a job and starting a personal business.

Want to advertise your job with CPH Post?

Contact us

Jobs