Marmite and Migrants: Bad for Denmark?
By Hélène Irving
Marmite: you either love it or you hate it, as they have famously advertised. Denmark has decided that it hates it, along with other vitamin-fortified food products, and has introduced a ban on them. Seems odd to prohibit something that is both tasty and relatively good for you, and some of Marmite's fans in Denmark have put it down to the product being "foreign." Why? The ban follows the appointment of Danish immigration minister Søren Pind, whose comments on assimilation could perhaps be summarized as simply: "If you don't like it, why don't you just go home?"
Meanwhile, when not eradicating the scourge of yeast extract, malt drinks, and baby biscuits, the Danish government (led by Pind) intends to tackle the issue of gender (in)equality amongst "immigrants of Muslim culture." Deploying educators, the state aims "to convince immigrants that their attitude towards women is outdated." Opponents decry the campaign as "populist."
Immigration—you either love it or you hate it. In Denmark's case, it looks as if it depends on the immigrant.
How do you feel about Denmark's actions?
Until October 2014, Hélène Irving was a program coordinator for the Open Society At Home in Europe project.