Denmark's top court hears case on 'non-Western' housing evictions

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 6 Nov, 10:21 · Archive

Denmark's supreme court is hearing a case from residents evicted under a law targeting areas with high numbers of 'non-Western' immigrants.

Seven families from Helsingør, north of Copenhagen, are appealing to Denmark's supreme court against the termination of their leases from a social housing estate. They claim they were discriminated against based on their ethnic origin when the housing association ended their tenancies in 2022.

The case challenges a 2018 law that requires housing associations to rebuild and renovate neighbourhoods classified as 'transformation areas'—previously called 'hard ghettos'—where more than half of residents are 'non-Western'. The law requires associations to reduce not-for-profit housing by 40 per cent and rent at least 60 per cent of homes at market rates by 2030. The residents' lawyer, Eddie Khawaja, said the question before the court was simple: whether the criteria regarding tenants' origin is neutral or not.

Denmark's lower courts have ruled in favour of the landlord, arguing that the term 'immigrants and descendants of people from non-Western countries' does not refer to a population group of one ethnic origin and therefore does not violate the Equal Treatment Act. The government has said the classification is unrelated to ethnicity. However, in December, the European Court of Justice ruled the legislation may be unlawful. The case could affect others forced out under the law, which has been criticised by human rights groups including Amnesty International.

How it is being reported

• Denmark’s top court to rule on ‘parallel societies’ after ‘non-western’ people evictedGovernment claims removal of former residents of housing complex in Helsingør is unrelated to their ethnicity Denmark’s supreme court is expected to rule on whether the state’s classification of residents with “non-western” backgrounds is covered by racial discrimination law. The appeal by residents who were evicted from Nøjsomhed-Sydvej in Helsingør, a city north of Copenhagen, could have far-reaching implications for others who have been forced out of their homes by the controversial legislation previously known as the “ghetto law”. The government now refers to affected neighbourhoods as…Guardian World · 6 Nov, 10:00
• Denmark's bid to eradicate 'non-Western ghettos' faces legal challenge after displaced families claim 'discrimination'Residents from Mjolnerparken, a neighbourhood of Copenhagen (pictured) affected by the programme, are suing the government over its policy.Daily Mail · 6 Nov, 09:36

In this story: Denmark · Helsingør · Copenhagen · Eddie Khawaja · European Court of Justice · Amnesty International

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