Vox: Denmark’s government wants to seize valuables from Syrian refugees

Denmark’s government wants to seize valuables from Syrian refugees

Denmark has one of the harshest records on Syrian refugees of any European Union nation, and last week it got even worse. On Thursday, December 10, the center-right Danish government proposed legislation that would enable immigration authorities to seize jewelry and other personal valuables from refugees…

Obviously there is no equivalence to be drawn between Denmark’s proposed policy and the Nazi seizures. But it’s nonetheless a strikingly cruel measure to inflict upon a population of poor men, women, and children fleeing death and chaos in their home country.

It may be an ill-timed measure and badly presented – particularly as it comes from a populist party, but the principle is not entirely wrong, whether it’s for nationals, foreign workers or refugees. Immigrants/refugees cost the host countries huge amounts of money, eliciting a backlash from the population and fuelling populist politicians’ narrative. Assuming that all refugees are “poor people” as stated in the story is wrong: some spend a lot of money to reach Europe and cross various frontiers to their final destination. If they can contribute to the costs of their support and care, so they should, like all citizens and prospective citizens. I thought that Vox was supposed to contribute to intelligent discussion, not tabloid treatment of news.

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