If
even Sweden is closing its borders to refugees, this really could be
the end for mass immigration
By
shutting its doors to the tide of migrants now sweeping across
Europe, Sweden proves that there is such a thing as being too nice
By Julia
Hartley-Brewer11:38AM GMT 12 Nov 2015
I know we’re not
supposed to make generalisations about entire nations and their
people but, if pushed, I’d say the Swedes seem like a pretty nice
bunch.
They live in a
prosperous, orderly society, with great schools and hospitals, a
generous welfare system funded by high taxes and, by any statistical
measure you care to choose, seem to be happier than most with their
lot in life.
Not only have they
given the world Abba, Ikea and Volvo, they also have a long tradition
of providing a safe haven to those in need.
"There are more
migrants per capita in this small country of under 10 million people
than in any other European nation"
So it is quite a big
deal when a nice country like Sweden decides, completely of its own
accord, to temporarily close its borders to immigrants.
Yet that is
precisely what Sweden has done, from midday today, with the
introduction of temporary border checks, for what they say is an
initial 10 days, to control the flow of Syrian and other migrants
into the country.
They are not the
first to do so. After all, the Hungarian and Slovenian governments
were both widely criticised for putting up fences to halt the flow of
migrants through their countries.
Now, as EU and
African leaders hold a second day of talks in Malta to discuss
measures to stem the flow of migrants, the Swedes are finally facing
up to the reality of their generous open door policy.
Swedish Interior
Minister Anders Ygeman said the step had been decided because the
surge in new arrivals posed a threat to public order. His aim is to
use the border checks to register new arrivals and prevent many
thousands of people from entering and staying in the country
illegally.
The country, with
welcoming arms outstretched, has received more than 100,000 asylum
seekers this year alone which, relative to population size, means
that Sweden has already taken far more migrants than any other EU
country during the Syrian migration crisis.
There are more
migrants per capita in this small country of under 10 million people
than in any other European nation, with up to another 100,000 new
arrivals expected before the end of the year: there were more than
10,000 asylum applications last week alone.
But, it seems,
enough is enough. Even for the cuddly Swedes.
While the prime
minister Stephen Löfven is keen to keep the door wide open, and
polls suggest that most Swedes still welcome refugees, it seems their
enthusiasm is starting to wane now that they have started to feel the
effects of this massive influx of people who do not share their
language, religion, culture or values.
Their generous
welfare state is buckling under the pressure of the new arrivals,
whether it comes to social services, schools or hospitals, and Sweden
has, to put it bluntly, run out of housing to hand out to new
arrivals and is now converting sports centres into makeshift
accommodation before their icy winter hits with a vengeance.
Meanwhile the
migrants who have found homes have – inevitably - moved into
ghetto-like communities, totally isolated from mainstream Swedish
society, and continue to live as if they were still back home in
Syria, Iraq or Eritrea.
This has led –
again, inevitably - to growing support for the anti-immigration
Sweden Democrats Party and to Sweden’s conservative party, the
Moderates, calling for increased border controls.
It is highly likely
that support for both parties will increase as Swedes come to terms
with the full, long lasting effects of mass immigration on their
previously cohesive society.
Just a few decades
ago, Sweden was one of the most homogeneous countries in the world,
with a largely ethnically white, Christian population, sharing the
same values, norms, cultural heritage and beliefs.
Advert for the
Sweden Democrats at a subway station in Stockholm. In a series of
signs arranged along the ceiling of the escalator as commuters
descend, it reads : "Sorry about the mess here in Sweden. We
have a serious problem with forced begging! International gangs
profit from people's desperation. Our government won't do what's
needed. But we will! And we're growing at record speed. =)"
Advert for the
Sweden Democrats at a subway station in Stockholm Photo: REUTERS
Today, almost 30 per
cent of the country has at least one foreign-born parent. While many
of these are fellow Scandinavians or Europeans, more recent arrivals
are not.
This is not, of
itself, a bad thing. But there are few countries that have been able
to handle such a rapid rate of demographic change successfully, to
integrate and assimilate new arrivals into the homegrown culture –
let alone when the migrants come from such a different culture, do
not speak the native language or share that country’s liberal
values.
The Swedes may well
be among the nicest people of Europe but, after opening their doors
to hundreds of thousands of migrants, they may soon find out that it
doesn’t always pay to be nice.
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