Denmark: the government's decision that it was safe to send Palestinians back to Lebanon against their will led 60 Palestinians to seek sanctuary in a church in Copenhagen. A public campaign made the opposition parties pass legislation in March 1992 forcing the minority government to allow a number of stateless Palestinians to remain in the country on an exceptional basis.
France: On September 25, 1991, work permits were abolished for all asylum seekers arriving in France. The measure has not been accompanied by any steps towards increasing social or financial benefits.
Article 8 of a new bill which provided for the setting up of a transit zone at airports and the possibility of administrative detention for up to 30 days without any intervention by a judicial authority has been declared inconsistent with the French constitution.
Germany: Amendments to the Asylum law reducing the limited time available to lodge an appeal have evoked much criticism from nongovernmental organizations, lawyers, judges and the UNHCR. The amendments might be unconstitutional. Following the recent wave of neo-fascist attacks on refugee hostels, cross-party support for a drastic tightening of Germany's historically relatively liberal asylum laws has been strengthened. Netherlands: Amendments to the Aliens Law have been made.
Asylum applications which have been declared to be manifestly unfounded can now lead to detention during the asylum period. Failing to turn up for an interview can also lead to detention.
Ratification of the Schengen Convention standardizing external border controls for the EC has been criticized in the Dutch parliament both on questions of content and the lack of democratic and judicial control.
Luxembourg: The government has terminated an existing labour agreement with Yugoslavia due to the fear of many more Yugoslavians arriving as a result of the war.
Switzerland: As of January 1992, as soon as an asylum seeker finds a job, 7% of the salary is deducted on a monthly basis for the purpose of reimbursing the government for public relief received and as a deposit for possible deportation costs.
Sweden: Immigrant, migrant and refugee organizations called for all workers of an immigrant background to stop work for one hour in February as a protest to show the contribution of immigrants to working life and to protest against racist attacks and xenophobia. Many Swedish nationals of no immigrant background joined the symbolic strike; underground trains stopped for five minutes and government offices joined the protest.
Norway: A demonstration was organized on the occasion of a speech by racist Mr. Arne Myrdd in November 1991. The 10,000 strong crowd turned their backs on him when he began his address. The event was declared a victory for anti-racists by the media. * immediate and pressing outcomes...
"Western governments, alarmed by a sharp rise in refugee applications during the last two years, responded in the only way they knew - by tightening border controls, bringing in cumbersome visa requirements and draconian entry conditions" (The Guardian, July 7, 1992).
Of the more than 400,000 refugees who have left the former Yugoslavia, Germany has received almost half. Hungary, Austria and Sweden have taken around 50,000 while Britain has taken around 2,000.
Britain has been criticized abroad and by Members of Parliament from all parties for not taking enough refugees. Religious leaders in the UK (Christians, Muslims, Jews and Hindus) have joined together in a plea to help the most vulnerable victims of the conflict (The Observer, August 16, 1992).
It has been estimated that it will cost $1bn just to look after the refugees in ex-Yugoslavia this winter. If the conflict escalates this figure will increase.
If war comes to Kosovo, millions could flee into poverty-stricken Albania, the European country least able to withstand the influx. * *Finn Jensen works for the Greater Manchester 11 Immigration Aid Unit (UK).
September 14, 1992 •