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Norway’s fifth-largest city, Drammen, has decided to accept only Ukrainian refugees, sparking outrage from all parties. Despite earlier warnings from the government in Oslo, the city council of Drammen in the south of the country voted on Tuesday to only accept Ukrainian refugees in the future. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Störe (63), who heads a centre-left government, spoke of an overreach of authority. “This is not something that cities can decide,” he told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
Drammen is only 40 kilometers from the capital Oslo and has 120,000 inhabitants. The mayor belongs to the conservative party and in the city council the majority consists of members of the conservative party, a right-wing anti-immigrant party, the Christian Democrats and a small pensioners’ party.
The asylum debate in Norway is gaining momentum
Prime Minister Störe described the city’s decision to NRK on Wednesday as “not legal”. It is a “fundamental value to guarantee the equal treatment of people on the move”.
Erna Solberg (62), leader of the conservative party, also expressed criticism. No municipality can decide ‘to only accept refugees from a certain country’, she told the NTB news agency. But it is also not “unusual” to have preferences when it comes to countries of origin. A member of the Norwegian Center Party, which is part of the governing coalition in Oslo, immediately reported the incident to the city council for “institutional racism”. (AFP)
Source: Blick
I am Amelia James, a passionate journalist with a deep-rooted interest in current affairs. I have more than five years of experience in the media industry, working both as an author and editor for 24 Instant News. My main focus lies in international news, particularly regional conflicts and political issues around the world.
