Denmark's 'Ghetto Law' — Because Housing Segregation is Just 'Integration'
Denmark's 'ghetto law,' passed in 2018, allows the government to target neighborhoods with high populations of 'non-Western' residents for forced demolition, relocation, and stricter social controls. The EU Court of Justice recently ruled it can examine cases challenging the law, after residents of the Mjølnerparken district sued over forced evictions. This isn't just about housing; it's about the
state's power to redefine communities based on racialized criteria, then dismantle them under the guise of 'integration.' One might wonder if calling these areas 'ghettos' is designed to dehumanize and justify collective punishment, much like 'slums' before it paved the way for 'urban renewal' that displaced countless minorities. Funny how 'integration' always seems to require the displacement of
non-white people, but never seems to involve, say, diversifying the Danish parliament with the same enthusiasm. It appears some countries still find racial segregation palatable, as long as it's politely rebranded.