The Institute of Public Affairs has signed a letter of support for Danish organizations

The Institute of Public Affairs has joined the protest of dozens of European and international organizations against the draft law entitled "Security for all Danes". According to national and international observers, the legislative proposal currently being processed in the Danish parliament may lead to the violation of civil rights and freedoms and contribute to the deepening of social divisions and fueling discrimination.

The concerns of Danish civic organizations are related in particular to the issue of the right to assembly, which, as a result of the introduction of new legal provisions, may be severely limited. The new law empowers the Police to unilaterally issue a broad ban on peaceful assembly in a specific place for up to 30 days with the possibility of a 30-day extension. Additionally, the proposed bill includes disproportionately severe penalties for breaking its provisions.

According to the rhetoric of the project supporters, the proposal processed in the parliament is supposed to respond to the public's concerns about the security issues supposedly related to the presence of people of “non-Western” backgrounds. The project is therefore a part of a broader context of activities which, according to the signatories of the letter, contribute to fueling hatred and social divisions, in particular discrimination against minorities.

According to international rankings, Denmark is among the champions in the field of adherence to democratic standards and human rights. The proposed legislative changes may threaten the country's reputation in the international arena. Together with the other signatories to the letter, we urge Danish parliamentarians to:

•    Reject the proposal as it stands;
•    Request the Ministry of Justice to carry out a review of the proposal and involve civil society, targeted communities and other interested parties;
•    Assess the impact of this law against international standards and compliance with EU law;
•    Refrain from statements inciting hate and discrimination against minority groups.

Full text of the letter is avaiable here


The letter has been endorsed by:
CIVICUS 
Civil Liberties Union for Europe (Liberties) 
European Civic Forum 
ARCI, Italy 
New Europeans, Europe 
Advocates Abroad, Greece 
Osservatorio Repressione, Italy 
Peace Institute, Slovenia 
Obywatele RP, Poland 
BlueLink Foundation, Bulgaria 
Legal-Informational Centre for NGOs (PIC), Slovenia 
Umanotera, Slovenia 
CNVOS, Slovenia 
International Institute for Nonviolent Action - Novact, Spain 
Bulgarian Fund for Women, Bulgaria 
Ligue des droits de l’Homme, France 
The Voice of Civic Organizations, Slovakia 
Nexus (Consulting and support for Alert and Mobilization initiatives), France 
Spiralis, Network of the development of NGO´s, Czech Republic 
European Movement Italy, Italy 
NETPOL - Network for police monitoring, United Kingdom 
New Europeans Minsk, Belarus 
Human Rights House Zagreb, Croatia 
Irídia - Center for Human Rights, Spain 
Gong, Croatia 
Netherlands Helsinki Committee, The Netherlands 
Associazione Antigone, Italy 
Grup de Periodistes Ramon Barnils (Ramon Barnils Group of Journalists) / Observatori Crític dels Mitjans Mèdia.cat (Mèdia.cat Critical Media Watchdog), Spain 
Društvo Asociacija, Slovenia 
Focus, Association for Sustainable Development, Slovenia 
Institute of Public Affairs (ISP), Poland 
Europe Section of the National Network for Civil Society (BBE), Germany 
Òmnium Cultural, Spain 
Statewatch, United Kingdom 
Civil Society Advocates, Cyprus 
ENAR, Europe