When some of the top-level politicians talk about international residents in the country during Constitution Day, it means something. It definitely means that they are numerous and important enough not to be overlooked during one of the most sacred institutional days in the life of a nation. How internationals are referred to—that’s another story. What we can say for sure is that today, foreigners are drawing a lot of attention this year. Regardless of political affiliation, top-level politicians chose to address non-Danish people during their speeches as one of the main points.
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Conditional citizenship and “Too many new Danes commit crimes”
The harshest words came from Inger Støjberg, former Minister for Immigration and Integration and member of Danmarksdemokraterne (The Danish Democrats), a right-wing populist party. On both Facebook and in a speech, she made several statements about immigrants, saying, among other things, that they place too much strain on Danish social institutions.
She suggested that a “values-based screening of applicants for Danish citizenship” is needed, and that “When foreigners apply for Danish citizenship today, they must sign that they will comply with Danish legislation and respect fundamental Danish values.”
Part of her speech was directed towards Muslims: “In a time of increasing anti-Semitism, it is crucial to send a clear signal: There is no place for hatred against Jews in Denmark,” she said, adding that “Islamic culture does not integrate with our freedom-oriented society,” and that “The threat comes primarily from Islam. Islam threatens our beautiful country.”
“That is precisely why I was placed under house arrest for a time—I firmly believe that child marriages have no place in Denmark,” she continued, referring to the High Court ruling against her for unlawfully separating couples.
She also proposed conditional citizenship: “Far too many new Danish citizens commit crimes, thereby celebrating their citizenship by committing criminal acts. We must put a stop to this. That is why we in the Danish Democrats want to make citizenship conditional for 10 years after obtaining a Danish passport and citizenship. If you commit a crime that would have otherwise disqualified you from obtaining citizenship, your citizenship should be revoked.”
“We need more foreign labor,” said Lars Løkke.
Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen, speaking in Odense during the Constitution Day celebrations, addressed both the need to attract more internationals to Denmark and to grant voting rights to Danes living abroad.
According to DR, the minister stated: “If you look 5–10 years ahead, we will be missing 90,000 full-time workers, and already now we are lacking hands and brains to such an extent that Danish companies estimate they have lost revenue corresponding to 176 billion kroner.” He added that a new scheme for international labor will be introduced “soon.”
The economic impact of internationals is also clear from the numbers: foreign labor contributed more than 360 billion DKK in 2024. “Without getting lost in big numbers, one can simply say that, at the beginning and end of the month, it’s a lot of money. That is also why we will soon be able to expand the economic room for maneuver again. We need more of it, not less,” he commented.
Mette F.’s words about niqab and rituals at school
The prime minister has repeatedly shown, including recently, how her position on immigration and internationals is moving closer to that of the right wing on several key issues. For example, she recently formed a political agreement with the far-right Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni regarding the revision of the Dublin Treaty.
Today, Mette Frederiksen spoke both in an interview with Ritzau and during a speech for Constitution Day at a school in Jutland. Her remarks focused primarily on Muslims rather than internationals in general.
Speaking about religious rituals in the education sector, she said, “God must yield. People have the right to be religious and to practice their faith, but democracy takes precedence,” adding that she wants to extend the face-covering ban to classrooms, effectively prohibiting the niqab: “It is not compatible with democracy to oppress girls and women by requiring them to be fully covered.” She said that she and the government are completely opposed to having prayer rooms or religious rituals in educational institutions.