A DANISH politician has been reported to the police over a shocking anti-immigrant speech in which she claimed foreigners “steal, rape and kill”.
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Cheanne Nielsen, a member of the far-right Danish People’s Party (DPP), will be investigated for alleged racism following the remarks at its annual conference.
In a shocking speech to the party faithful the Copenhagen delegate questioned benefits hand-outs to recently arrived migrants and accused them of “making a mess” of the country.
Police in the Danish capital confirmed they were investigating the remarks after a member of the public complained that they breached the country’s race hate laws.
During her hate-filled rant, Ms Nielsen said: “Why should foreigners take care of themselves, now that they can require rent and pocket money from the state as soon as they come here?
“They make a mess, they cheat, they steal, they rape and they kill.”
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The remarks were apparently greeted with applause from party delegates in the room, but have been met with dismay and disgust from across the political spectrum.
DPP leader Kristian Thuelsen Dahl admitted the controversial politician had gone “too far” with the remarks but refused to strip her of her party membership.
And in a Facebook post following the furore Ms Nielsen insisted that she had accidentally missed a word out of her speech, and that she meant to say “many” migrants commit crimes.
She wrote: “At the national meeting, I gave a speech. Unfortunately, I said ‘foreigners’ and not ‘many foreigners’.
“This has been interpreted to mean that I think all foreigners. It goes without saying that there aren’t problems with all foreigners.
“Many of them take good care of themselves and want to be a part of Danish society. But there are problems with many foreigners and we should be able to talk about it.”
Denmark’s government has already taken a harder line on immigration in recent months following unprecedented numbers of new arrivals, rolling out restrictions to limit the number of people settling in the country.
One of the more controversial policies is forcing migrants to pay into the system in the form of taxes before they can claim benefits.
And Roskilde resident Mille Stockner, who complained to the police about Ms Nielsen’s comments, said that her remarks were a shocking escalation of anti-migrant rhetoric in the country.
She said: “In my view, these comments are such extreme generalisations of an ethnic group that they are clearly in violation [of racism law].
“This is also a case of using such comments as propaganda when they are expressed from the podium of a large national gathering.”
The Copenhagen politician’s comments were not the only controversial remarks to come out of the DPP conference, which took place last weekend.
Marlene Harpsøe, who represents the party in parliament, was also blasted for urging the government to give failed asylum seekers “a pair of trainers” and force them to walk home.
She told the meeting: “There are often reports of difficulties in sending rejected asylum seekers back home. It is very, very expensive when the trip is made by plane.
“We waste an incredible amount of police resources on it. So, dear gathering, I have a much better idea. Give the migrants a pair of sneakers. If they can walk all the way up here, they can also walk home again.”
The DPP has 37 MPs in the Danish parliament - known as the Folketing - and forms part of the ruling conservative coalition.
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http://www.express.co.uk/news/world/713278/Danish-politician-Cheanne-Nielsen-DPP-migrants-steal-rape-kill-speech-probed-police
