A new spoof video encourages Africans to adopt an elderly Dane, in response to Europe’s growing hard-line treatment of refugees.

The video is set in a non-descript Africa and shows the fictional founder of Adopt A Dane Foundation (AADF) handing out flyers and convincing African citizens to take care of Denmark’s poor and vulnerable elderly.

An increasing sentiment throughout Scandinavian countries is that funds being spent on refugees should be redistributed to help their own country’s citizens.

The new video mocks the idea that humans being denied basic rights such as access to clean water, food, and shelter should be ignored purely because of the country they come from.

The video was released around the same time that the Danish parliament passed an immigration bill last week allowing the government to seize valuables and cash from refugees.

The bill gives police the authority to strip refugees of the few belongings they managed to salvage from their homes, with the justification of making refugees ‘pay their way’ and in doing so leaving more money for the country’s citizens.

The video uses those same arguments as satire to criticise such measures through using Danish citizen’s outrage on social media over aid distribution.

The plight of Denmark’s elderly citizens in comparison to money spent on international aid and accommodating refugees has received particular attention on Facebook.

In the video the fictional founder of AADF tells viewers he was inspired to set up the group after seeing social media comments complaining of money being spent on Africa instead of old people.

“Sure, we might have contaminated water, epidemics and lack electricity. But it seems from the Facebook comments that old Danes are worse off. Please let us take care of them!” said the fictional founder.

The founder encourages Africans to open their hearts as “Thousands of old Danes need new homes”.

Created by Danish radio station P3-DR, the video attempts to show how basic rights and the welcoming human spirit should be given to all beings, regardless of if they are refugees coming to Denmark or Danes fleeing to Africa.

Danish politicians that support the new immigration bill have been quick to defend their stance against backlash from international commentators condemning their policies.

“The attention Denmark receives these days is not caused by the level of aid we provide. It is caused by the fact that we adjust this level,” Jakob Ellemann-Jensen, a spokesman for the centre-right Liberal Party, told The Washington Post last week.

“We are still among the most generous countries in the world.”

However, refugee agencies remain insistent that Denmark’s treatment of refugees is foregoing the rights of the already vulnerable and helpless.

“People who have suffered tremendously … should be treated with compassion and respect, and within their full rights as refugees,” said U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, after Denmark’s immigration law was passed.

Ruby Brown
AMES Australia Staff Writer