A right-wing political party in Denmark is calling for refugees and immigrants to celebrate Christmas and other Christian festivals in order to be considered “Danish”, sparking outrage from opponents.
Martin Henriksen, the Danish People’s Party (DPP) immigration spokesperson, said going to church would put new arrivals “on the right track”.
“We believe that those who come to this country should make as much effort as possible to become Danes, and to do that you need to understand Christianity and its importance to Danish people,” he told the Jyllands Posten newspaper.
“You have to participate in that part of our culture to experience the things that bring together the majority of our population through common rituals and traditions.”
Mr Henriksen suggested immigrants should visit churches during the main Christian festivals of Christmas and Easter – “just to see what’s happening”.
Left-wing politicians described the sentiments as “un-Danish”, arguing that it was dangerous to equate integration and nationality with religion.
The comments came amid a heated national debate on “Danishness”, which reached the country’s parliament last week after the DPP introduced a statement expressing concern over the number of people with an “immigrant background” living in a suburb of Copenhagen.
The statement, approved by 55 votes to 54, generated controversy by classifying “immigrants and their descendants” as non-Danes, whether or not they were born in Denmark or had gained citizenship.
Source: http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/denmark-peoples-party-imm…
