Danes want to apologize for anti-refugee ads
The Local Denmark - [email protected]
Published: 11 Sep, 2015 CET.
Updated: Fri 11 Sep 2015 10:32 CET
A campaign is underway to republish the Danish government's recent advertisement discouraging refugees from coming to Denmark with a postscript apologizing for its "hostility".
A group called People Reaching Out is trying to raise funds to run ads in the same four Lebanese newspapers that carried the government’s message about recent asylum policy changes earlier this week.
The new advertisements will be replicas of the original ads, with a twist.
People Reaching Out want to include a postscript telling readers that many in Denmark disagree with the government’s official line.
Below the original ad will be a red heart and the following message:
“P.S. Sorry for the hostility towards refugees expressed here. As ordinary Danes we wish to extend our sympathy and compassion to anyone feeling war and despair. #PeopleReachingOut.”
The planned ads replicate the originals. Photo: PeopleReachingOut
The group is trying to raise money on Facebook. The government spent some 252,000 kroner ($37,650) on its ad campaign including the purchase of ad space and fees to a consulting agency.
PeopleReachingOut say that if they can raise enough money, they will not only run their ads in the same four Lebanese newspapers, they will also place them in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
If the group is successful, the new campaign will will become the second set of ads from private Danes to offer a counter narrative to the government’s hard-line approach.
See also: Danes publish pro-refugee advertisement
A privately-funded campaign purchased advertisements in the UK paper The Guardian and a Germany newspaper last month ahead of the government’s message. Those ads told refugees that “we welcome you to Denmark” and accused Integration Minister Inger Støjberg of acting on “the ill-conceived and erroneous logic that families calculate where they may profit the most from settling as refugees”.
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A group called People Reaching Out is trying to raise funds to run ads in the same four Lebanese newspapers that carried the government’s message about recent asylum policy changes earlier this week.
The new advertisements will be replicas of the original ads, with a twist.
People Reaching Out want to include a postscript telling readers that many in Denmark disagree with the government’s official line.
Below the original ad will be a red heart and the following message:
“P.S. Sorry for the hostility towards refugees expressed here. As ordinary Danes we wish to extend our sympathy and compassion to anyone feeling war and despair. #PeopleReachingOut.”
The planned ads replicate the originals. Photo: PeopleReachingOut
The group is trying to raise money on Facebook. The government spent some 252,000 kroner ($37,650) on its ad campaign including the purchase of ad space and fees to a consulting agency.
PeopleReachingOut say that if they can raise enough money, they will not only run their ads in the same four Lebanese newspapers, they will also place them in the Washington Post and the New York Times.
If the group is successful, the new campaign will will become the second set of ads from private Danes to offer a counter narrative to the government’s hard-line approach.
See also: Danes publish pro-refugee advertisement
A privately-funded campaign purchased advertisements in the UK paper The Guardian and a Germany newspaper last month ahead of the government’s message. Those ads told refugees that “we welcome you to Denmark” and accused Integration Minister Inger Støjberg of acting on “the ill-conceived and erroneous logic that families calculate where they may profit the most from settling as refugees”.
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