Denmark: Discrimination in disco entrance-policy

Being a well-integrated New Dane, born and raised in Denmark, is far from enough for getting an entrance ticket to parties in discos in the Danish nightlife. A new study by Catinét Research published in Ugebrevet A4, shows that it's exactly the opposite.

Catinét had asked men of immigrant background, if they have been refused entrance. In total, 52% of those asked who go to discos, had experienced getting a negative answer from the doorman, compared with just 17% of ethnic Danes.

The trend is strongest among 25-34 year old. Her, 59% of New Danes have been rejected, compared to 18% of ethnic Danes.

It's completely impossible if someone has darker skin. 79% of Somalis who go to discos had been refused entrance, as did 54% of Turks and 44% of ex-Yugoslavians.

New Danes can't hope that they'll be accepted with time. According to the study it's especially men who have been in Denmark for a long time who often experience being rejected. 62% of men who were born in the country or had lived here 16-20 years had been rejected.

Carsten Kruuse spokesperson for Danmarks Restauranter og Cafeer denies the study says his field practices different treatment or racism. It's rather an expression of the over-representation of troublemakers among young immigrants, and that owners of restaurants and doormen try to prevent potential troublemakers. He says there's statistical basis for it.

When more than half had experienced rejection, does that mean they were potential troublemakers?

"That you must interpret on your own. I can't confirm or disprove it." He says there are no such problems with rejecting foreign women, so it's not different treatment.

Integration consultant Manu Sareen disagrees. He says it was well known before and now there are numbers to show it. It's an expression of severe differences in treatment and that the darker a person is the more likely he is to meet the prejudice that he's going to cause trouble.

Sareen says that it's true that there's an over-representation of minority youth who cause problems. It just has nothing to do with skin color. This study shows a direct correspondence between skin color and rejection. he says he understand that restaurants have a business and if minorities cause trouble, it's bad for business. But what with the well-integrated youth that are denied entrance? If young people who wants to be part of the youth culture are rejected at the doors, they will look for other places together and begin to go in groups. It's not something we can suffer, and when the society they live in can't suffer them it contributes to that.

Both Kruuse and Sareen think that the best solution is registering troublesome guests, a register that would give restaurant owners and doormen the possibility to separate the wheat from the chaff. It's just not legal today.

Catinét Research based its study on answers from 200 men of immigrant background, and 181 ethnic Danish men.

Politiken did not get a comment from integration minister Birthe Rønn Hornbech.

Source: Politiken (Danish)

Source: Amsterdam: Discos discriminate against immigrants, Denmark: Demand for study on ethnic criminiality