On Tuesday evening, the elected representatives in Drammen argued about which refugees the city should accept? The majority agreed that they prefer Ukrainians, because they believe they are easier to include. On Wednesday, the debate continued, both in the river city and in the capital. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre (Ap) said early on that the decision is illegal. That caused Jon Helgheim (Frp) to light up, and said it was an interference of historical dimensions, since the State Administrator has not concluded. – Whether it is legal or not, that must be decided by the State Administrator – but I believe that we cannot have it this way, that 350 municipalities in Norway must choose which conflict they will accept people from. Then we will lose the good system we have today, where we ensure good settlement of refugees, says Støre to news on Wednesday evening. Should municipalities be allowed to decide which refugees they accept? Yes, it must be up to each municipality. No, I don’t think so. Show result Heavy load The morning after the municipal council meeting Simon Nordanger (Sp) Drammen municipality reported to the police. Helgheim called it a PR stunt. – Earlier today you said that the decision is not legal, Støre? – My point is that I think it is out of line, something a municipality should not do. The state administrator must decide whether it is legal. The case was approved by 29 to 28 votes in the municipal council chamber, where the Conservative Party, the FRP, the KrF and the Pensioners’ Party have a majority. – It was a harrowing discussion, and I understand that the municipalities have a great burden in accepting refugees. They have managed that very well with regard to refugees from Ukraine, and then we have a very low number of quota refugees from other countries, says Støre. This is how the decision was changed: This was the wording in the decision from the chairmanship: The municipal board believes that in the current situation of war in our immediate areas, we are obliged to prioritize refugees from Ukraine over other nationalities. The municipal board believes that the integration act’s intention is that settlement should take place where there is the greatest opportunity to be integrated. With the high proportion of non-Western immigrants that Drammen already has, it will be a hindrance to integration to settle even more people with a non-Western background. This is because the resources must be used to solve the integration challenges we already have with this group, before more are added. Against this background, the municipal council requests that Ukrainian refugees be settled. This wording was adopted by the municipal council: The municipal council believes that in the current situation of war in our immediate areas, we are obliged to prioritize refugees from Ukraine. Against this background, the municipal council requests that Ukrainian refugees be settled. – Absolutely incredible Drammen is one of Norway’s most multicultural cities, with just over 100,000 inhabitants. Population growth has been large in recent years. Helgheim points out that the municipality has major challenges with integration, and that is why the majority in the municipal council wants the 125 refugees the city will accept to come from Ukraine. – How would it look if all municipalities in Norway had to decide which refugee groups they should accept? – Then you can imagine that there are some groups of refugees we get to Norway that it is not possible to settle, and that is a bad solution, Støre replies. Jon Helgheim (Frp) reacts strongly to Støre’s statements. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news Helgheim reacts strongly to what he calls interference and influence from Støre. – It is very surprising that we have a prime minister who meddles in local processes in this way. We were supposed to have a legality check by the State Administrator, and then the Prime Minister spends five minutes being both State Administrator and chief judge and stating that this is illegal. He then lays down strong guidelines, which prevent unfair treatment. It is absolutely incredible that a prime minister can mix roles in this way, says Helgheim. Discrimination? The government decides how many refugees Norway will accept. The Directorate for Integration and Diversity takes action, and takes it further with the municipalities – which settle. Jonas Gahr Støre in conversation with IMDi manager Libe Rieber-Mohn. Photo: Ksenia Novikova / news – Does the Constitution say that you cannot discriminate without a factual reason? – There are many factual reasons for making certain differences. Drammen can be very good at settling and including certain groups, and then you can struggle with other things. We already know that, and then we have to take that into account when distributing refugees, Helgheim replies. – You can call it discrimination, but it is perfectly legal, if it is objectively and factually justified. He believes that the war in Ukraine is so close to Norway that it must be prioritized. – We have actually blown up the settlement capacity in Drammen, but we want to contribute as best we can, so we must be able to say that it is Ukrainian refugees who are to be prioritized in Drammen. If not, we believe that we do not have the capacity to settle more.
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Støre said the Drammen decision was illegal – now he has turned around – news Buskerud – Local news, TV and radio
