The details of Denmark’s proposal to confiscate jewellery and other valuable items from refugees entering the country have reached the ears of foreign journalists, and they have compared the idea with Nazism, reports Berlingske.
The controversial bill was presented on December 10 and is part of the new asylum policy package that is expected to be passed by Parliament in January. The bill will also impact on refugees already in the country.
According to the law, any possessions worth more than 3,000 kroner could be seized by the authorities.
Outrageous proposal
American journalist Lisa Guerrero and the British online news The Daily Beast have compared the bill with the Nazi practice of stealing Jewish property during the Second World War.
A wave of criticism has spilled over to the social media, where commentators have called the proposal ‘outrageous’ and a ‘disgrace’.
“It is pretty telling about the current Danish policies that [some] are not quite sure whether this is a hoax or not,” Zachary Whyte, an asylum and integration researcher at the University of Copenhagen, told the Washington Post.
Wedding rings
Meanwhile, Inger Støjberg, the integration minister, explained that foreigners will be allowed to keep assets necessary to maintain a modest standard of living, such as mobile phones.
“Furthermore, assets which have a certain personal, sentimental value to a foreigner will not, as a main rule, be seized unless they have [considerable] value,” the minister stated.
