Why is Denmark separating ‘Western’ and ‘non-Western’ citizens?

Author: Nils Adler and AFPPublished on: November 6, 2026Country: Denmark
World / InternationalCrime & Law
Why is Denmark separating ‘Western’ and ‘non-Western’ citizens?

Seven families from Helsingør are challenging in Denmark’s Supreme Court the termination of their leases in 2022 under a 2018 law targeting certain social-housing estates. The law applies to areas where more than half of residents are classified as “non-Western”; the government says it promotes integration, while rights groups argue it is discriminatory. A definition cited by the UN Human Rights Office classifies countries outside the EU, with specified exceptions, as non-Western and also includes descendants born in Denmark. As a result, a Danish citizen born and raised in Copenhagen can still be classified as “non-Western.”

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