UK Looks to Denmark for Refugee 'Innovation'—Again
The UK government is reportedly looking to Denmark for 'inspiration' on how to implement tougher asylum policies, mimicking a previous proposal from spring 2021 that drew widespread condemnation from human rights organizations. Denmark, lauded by some for its restrictive approach, has been openly criticized for policies that essentially aim to deter all asylum seekers. This isn't innovation; it's
a race to the bottom, conveniently framed as a shared learning experience rather than a deliberate escalation of anti-immigrant sentiment. One might wonder if this 'inspiration' includes Denmark's plan, floated in 2021, to process asylum applications outside Europe – a scheme widely seen as an attempt to outsource human rights obligations. The BBC reported in April 2021 on Denmark's 'zero asylum
seekers' goal. So, when the FT says 'tougher policies,' it's not simply bureaucratic streamlining; it's adopting tactics designed to make desperate people disappear from sight, rather than addressing the root causes of displacement, which, surprisingly, often link back to Western foreign policies. Perhaps the UK is just admiring how Denmark manages to keep people out of sight, out of mind, and
definitely not on prime-time news.