Danish ruling parties ask opposition to stop debating citizenship cases in media

Denmark's four governing parties want parliamentary committees to evaluate citizenship applicants in private. They called on opposition parties to stop discussing specific applicants in the news media.

The request follows actions by the Danish People's Party and Liberal Alliance. In October, both opposition parties publicly named applicants on an upcoming citizenship bill. They argued these individuals should be denied citizenship based on past social media posts. One case involved praise for Hamas, while another involved support for executions under Islamic law.

Magnus Georg Jensen spoke for the governing coalition. He stated that discussing individual cases in public creates an undignified process for applicants. He urged politicians to raise concerns inside the parliamentary citizenship committee instead.

The citizenship committee checks whether applicants have committed crimes or expressed views contrary to Danish values. If an applicant fails to meet loyalty requirements, the committee can remove them from the bill.

Immigration Minister Rasmus Stoklund previously welcomed politicians to flag applicants with extremist views. However, Jensen stressed that flagging cases in committee is very different from launching media campaigns.

The Danish government is awaiting expert recommendations for a formal background screening model by March 2027. In the meantime, ministers plan to proceed with the current citizenship bill containing 2,055 applicants, reported The Local Denmark.