Members of a Danish nationalist party sparked controversy when they distributed cans of spray labeled “Asylum Spray: Legal [and] Effective” in the town of Haderslev in southern Denmark on Saturday.
The Danskernes Parti (Party of the Danes) is currently trying to qualify for the next parliamentary elections and seeks to have all non-Western immigrants thrown out of the Scandinavian country.
Chairman and founder of the party, former neo-Nazi Daniel Carlsen, said the spray could be used for self-defense. Possession of pepper spray is illegal for citizens in Denmark.
“We are tackling an actual problem in our society, where many Danes feel unsafe,” the 26-year-old party leader told TV Syd. “Partially because there are so many migrants in the country and partially because one isn’t allowed to defend oneself.”
Carlsen announced on Twitter that 137 cans were handed out to locals and that the party plans to distribute them again this week.
There have been previous reports of Danish women being harassed by refugees in several Danish cities. One city official said public workers along with the police now aim to inform asylum seekers about “acceptable behavior” in Western countries.
But the spray cans handed out by the party have sparked strong reactions.
“They’ve been through so much and they’re told they’re so undesirable that we have a spray against them,” Charlotte Bech in central Denmark told TV Syd with tears in her eyes.
“It’s one thing to think that we don’t have the capacity [for refugees] or that some of them might not fit into our culture. But to make a joke out of it isn’t okay,” she said.
According to The Local Denmark, another woman said she “can’t even find the words to describe how outraged” she was by the party’s actions.
“I think it is disgusting,” resident Helle Byg said. “I’m just so offended.”
