This week, FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug was out Dagbladet and asked Norway to stand up for the Ukrainian refugees.
What is left of Norway’s annual refugee quota of 3,000 will be used on Ukrainian refugees, Frp wants.
The party also wants Ukrainians to be granted residence and work permits as if they came from an EU country, and that five billion be re-prioritized from the development aid budget earmarked for humanitarian aid in Ukraine and to Ukrainians in neighboring countries.
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– We have always been responsible for the fact that if there is a crisis in our immediate areas, Norway must stand up. It is generally seen in the surrounding areas that you have to solve the challenges when you have refugee crises, Listhaug told Dagbladet.
– Missing words
For the MDGs, this is nowhere near good enough.
– When Listhaug wants to use the Ukraine crisis as an excuse to say no to refugees from the rest of the world, it is so heartbreaking that I lack words, says MDG deputy leader Arild Hermstad.
He responds that the FRP proposal would mean that Norway would not accept refugees from other countries who could otherwise receive protection here.
– Putting refugees against each other in this extraordinary situation, we should stay too good here in Norway, and that should also apply to the FRP leader. Receiving refugees from Ukraine should therefore not be at the expense of other refugees’ right to protection.
Can get tens of thousands to Norway
Hermstad thinks it does not make sense to talk about any quota now.
– It has not happened since World War II that a country as large as Russia has invaded another large country. I do not understand what the government is waiting for. We must do what we can to help Poland and other neighboring countries.
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So far, 1.2 million Ukrainians have fled the country, and The UN expects that 10 of the 44 million inhabitants of the country are fleeing their homes, and that four million are fleeing the country.
If Norway is to “take its share” of these, large numbers will have to come to Norway, according to Hermstad.
– Then we talk tens of thousands, he says.
Thus, this is not the time to set a number, says Hermstad, who uses strong words to describe the FRP’s approach to the refugee wave.
– We have seen people of non-Ukrainian origin fleeing Ukraine now being met with racism when they flee. They are thrown off trains and buses, and several are denied entry to Poland and Romania. This way of thinking Frp now fronts shows something of the same attitude, where opposition and dividing lines are created between people who are on the run. We know that refugees deserve help anyway.
– MDG needs to calm down a bit
For Frp, it is immigration policy spokesman Erlend Wiborg, and not Listhaug, who responds to the MDG criticism.
– It is a completely unreasonable accusation. Here the MDG should breathe with its stomach and calm down a bit. FRP has always been clear that refugees are best helped in their immediate areas. We mean that here too, he says about the criticism.
– There are just under 80 million people on the run in the world, and they are best helped in their immediate areas. Now there is war in our immediate area and these are the ones we want to prioritize bringing to Norway.
– We will continue to spend money on helping refugees from Syria and elsewhere. The FRP has always wanted that, but in their immediate areas.
– Instead of attacking Frp on autopilot, as MDG does now, they should have joined forces with Frp. We have launched three concrete proposals to help, says Wiborg and repeats the FRP proposals.
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Ukrainians who come to Norway will have a good opportunity to contribute to working life, he believes.
– These are mainly not people who need an integration program of two years. Here we are talking about people who can go straight into the labor market. Possibly with some Norwegian language training in advance.
– But since you are on the generous side, why not put the Ukrainian refugees on top of the other 3,000 one had planned to pick up.
– Norway can not accept an unlimited number. We must prioritize our immediate areas.
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That way you can help many more, it comes from Wiborg.
– For the price we can get 35 unaccompanied minors from Syria for, we can help 8300 Syrians in their immediate areas. It must be better to help 8300 with food, drinks, house lights and than to bring 35 from Syria.
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