Reykjavík Grapevine - 23.05.2008, Blaðsíða 6

06 | Reykjavík Grapevine | Issue 06 2008 | Interview
Where Do These People Come From?
“I’ve been pointing to
practical things like our
language is completely
different, our alphabet
– do these people un-
derstand the alphabet
we use? I don’t know, I
haven’t received any in-
formation about it. Don’t
we need to teach them
everything from scratch
regarding these things?“
Former MP and Liberal Party spokesman Magnús
Þór Hafsteinsson is not a great believer in integra-
tion. Photo by GAS
Former Liberal Party MP and current Liberal Party
VP Magnús Þór Hafsteinsson has for the last
two years – ever since his party announced its
newfangled standpoint on immigration reform –
valiantly defended himself against several claims
that he is a xenophobe, racist or rapid opportunist.
He made the headlines this month whilst managing
to get himself ousted from the Akranes Town
Council, when he disputed the government’s plans
of placing sixty Iraqi refugees in the town. He told
the Grapevine all about it.
Tell me your version of the Akranes refugee
disputes that lead to the Liberal Party
(and yourself) being ousted from the town
council.
It started when we got an informal request from
the Ministry Of Social Affairs about receiving a
group of refugees, or two groups of refugees – the
number was sixty refugees from the outset, thirty
to arrive this year and another thirty the next. It
rolled around in the system for a while, we were
visited by representatives from the ministry and
the Red Cross and there was very little they could
tell us.
They couldn’t tell us anything about where
the people were from, which is an important
factor. People come from different situations
and cultural contexts, and they have different
backgrounds. Those of us who have to make
decisions about the case and prepare it need that
information so we can start doing our homework.
There also wasn’t any sort of survey about the
situation in Akranes, how the town was fit to host
sixty refugees in regards to our social structure;
schools, healthcare, housing, employment, etc.
Hosting refugees is a complicated and difficult
task, one that needs to be well prepared. But they
couldn’t give us any information, just told us that
we were to host these groups.
So I summarize my thoughts on the case in
an article and argue my standpoint, which is that
the town is ill equipped to handle it, especially
with such short notice. I draw that conclusion
in light of my experiences as chairman of the
Akranes Social affairs council. I am not claiming
that we shouldn’t host refugees; I’ve never said
that. I’ve just said that I do not think it’s timely to
do it now. We need to think this through and do
it decently, if Akranes is to accept refugees we
need to do it 150%. That has been the core of my
discourse, which has of course been twisted by
the opposition, and turned into a mudslinging
contest. But I knew that was to be expected.
Why do you emphasize the importance of the
refugees’ background?
We need to know where these people are coming
from. We had to learn it from the media that these
were single mothers from Iraq And that’s important,
these refugees are coming from Iraq – we need to
keep in mind that Iraq has seen three wars in the
last two decades – this factors in when making
decisions about the case, we need to realize what
group we’re talking about. These people have
been refugees in Iraq, maybe since 2003 and they
could be in various conditions, mentally and
physically, that we need to be equipped to deal
with. I don’t think there’s anything wrong with
asking those questions.
Another thing I would like to note is that I
can’t see that the government has in any way
mapped out the social situation in Akranes,
there hasn’t been any analysis of how Akranes is
equipped to welcome refugees.
Isn’t Akranes equipped to welcome this group
of refugees?
It needs to be carefully studied and prepared.
The schools are full; the day care centres are
full. They are building a new primary school, but
that won’t be ready in another year or two. And
they’re building a new day care centre that’s still
under construction. Our social support system is
very loaded, and that can be proved. We are far
beyond our budget, supplying social services
to those in need. The employment situation has
gone haywire in Akranes, especially for women,
because of layoffs in the fishing industry. There
are all kinds of problems that we have been
facing this term; as a town we have been fighting
a defensive battle to maintain the services that we
are legally obligated to provide.
Then you’re saying that Akranes isn’t capable
of hosting refugees?
I think that if Akranes were to do so, then there
would have to be a thorough study beforehand. I
think that the town isn’t able to do it without any
advance warning.
The town of Ísafjörður welcomed a group
of thirty refugees in 1996, during what
can only be called a major recession in
the area. That was in the wake of three
horrifying avalanches, the unification of the
neighbouring townships into a larger one,
and the closing of every fish factory in town.
The people of Ísafjörður had no problem in
welcoming the refugees, and by all accounts
the project was a success. Why should there
be problems now?
I’ve heard varying accounts on how that project
went. It may well have been a success, and then
that’s fine. I haven’t studied it thoroughly. But
those were families, weren’t they? That’s different
than single mothers; the fathers must have gotten
jobs quickly, so their adjustment to society must
have been smoother. You can’t compare the two
groups because they come from such different
backgrounds.
But you’re not against welcoming refugees?
No, no. And I do not oppose that they be helped.
What I am saying is that if we take on these tasks,
we need to do it well. This particular case comes
with too short notice, and thus isn’t feasible.
Another thing I’ve said is that it would’ve been
smarter to send emergency supplies to these
areas. They are spending 120 million ISK on thirty
individuals. All right then. But that’s a lot of money;
we could have done a lot of good for that money
in the Middle East. By aiding refugee camps and
at a later point taking in refugees. And it also has
all sorts of ethical questions attached; OK, if we’re
taking in thirty people, what about the rest that’s
left behind? Why don’t we bring them here, too?
It seems to have gone fine in other Icelandic
towns that have welcomed refugees.
Like I say, I’ve been hearing differing accounts
of that. People have been calling me from those
towns and telling me different stories about how
it went.
What stories?
Just that it didn’t go particularly well in those
places and that there were several problems with
welcoming the refugees. And that the refugees
usually left town as soon as they had the chance
to.
But is that a problem? Haven’t the people left
the war-zones and refugee camps, isn’t that
the aim of all this?
I don’t know what happened to the people that
came here as refugees. Some went back home, I
know.
So why are you the first man in Iceland to
protest welcoming refugees from war torn
regions?
I am not protesting that. I’m just saying that in
light of the present circumstances it isn’t timely
for the town of Akranes to accept refugees, and
that as head of the Social Affairs council I can’t
recommend it. The thought is that the people
should adjust in a period of 12-24 months - that
we can teach them and help them to be self-
sufficient and adjusted to Icelandic society in that
amount of time. That they’ll be able to provide
for themselves after that period of adjustment.
That’s good and fine, but I ask in return: how can
we expect that this group, which comes from a
completely different environment than Iceland,
can enter society so quickly. Single mothers with
children need to stay home a lot, just to take care
of their kids. Like they should. Therefore, this is
much more complicated than it looks. I’ve been
pointing to practical things like our language
is completely different, our alphabet – do these
people understand the alphabet we use? I don’t
know, I haven’t received any information about
it. Don’t we need to teach them everything from
scratch regarding these things?
When is the right time to welcome refugees,
and where should they come from?
It’s very hard to answer that question, when is the
right time and where should they come from...
Text by Haukur S. Magnússon