In the chairmanship last week, the majority parties Høyre, Frp, KrF and the Pensioners’ Party proposed that Drammen should only accept Ukrainian refugees. It created strong reactions. The Immigration Council believed, among other things, that it was “discriminatory”. On Tuesday evening, the majority in the municipal council was in favor of this, with 29 to 28 votes. But they are probably not allowed to decide which refugees they accept. – The municipalities cannot make demands on the refugees’ nationality or family situation. The municipalities and the state must work together to get everyone who gets legal residence in Norway settled, says Employment and Inclusion Minister Tonje Brenna to news. It is not up to the municipalities to choose where people come from, says Tonje Brenna. Photo: William Jobling / news Can be “appealed” Drammen is one of Norway’s most multicultural cities, with residents from all over the world. Even if the majority of politicians wanted Ukrainian refugees over others, it could be against the law, as the Center Party’s Simon Nordanger pointed out immediately last week. The municipal attorney writes in a report that such a decision is not legal: The decision is discriminatory in that it is based on the fact that the municipality only wants to settle refugees from Ukraine, and not other refugees with a non-Western background. As the matter has been disclosed to us, and based on the justification given, this discrimination is not legal. The decision is therefore contrary to both national and international regulations. – We shall not pit groups against each other. The government continues to strengthen integration in Norway and contributes to the municipalities being able to continue the good work with settlement, says Brenna. In any case, the case can be “appealed”. It is not inconceivable that the opposition parties will question the legality of it. – I get messages that what Drammen is doing now is embarrassing, says Emilie Ovnerud (V). KrF: Here, but no further – 125 refugees is a high number for Drammen, historically and today. All settlement is difficult, no matter where you come from. But we know from experience that some people have some problems, said Jon Helgheim (Frp) from the podium in the town hall. Jon Helgheim in the Fremskrittspartiet believes that Drammen is only doing what Norway has been doing for several years. Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news – There is war in our immediate areas, and then we are obliged to accept more people even if the capacity is exhausted. The State of Norway does exactly the same thing that Drammen municipality now adopts, every single year, under every government. There you draw up a list of which nationality you should come from, and how many, he said. The Christian People’s Party is part of the majority in Drammen. Turid Solberg Thomassen made several statements from the podium, where she was clearly affected. And upset. – How will this end? For my part, it is possible to join this now, because of the war situation in Ukraine, but I will not join this several times. Then I’m either the reason for the breakup, or I’ll be thrown out, she said. The pain limit has been reached, but Turid Solberg Thomassen (KrF) voted for the proposal. This time. Photo: Balsharan Pal Kaur / news Systematized racism? Høyre, the largest party in Drammen, knows that they pressured the state. – We are challenging the priorities set by the state of Norway, and we are honest about that, said group leader Kristin Surlien (H) to news yesterday. Simon Nordanger (Sp) has called it systematized racism. Jon Helgheim (Frp) has defended it with a desire for good integration, and that Ukrainians are “easier” to settle than some other refugees.
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Believes Drammen municipality cannot decide which refugees to accept – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
