Families evicted from Mjølnerparken to make way for the sale of 260 homes; residents complain of discrimination.

Two out of four residential complexes in the Mjølnerparken area, known for its predominantly immigrant population, will be sold, in accordance with a decision made by the majority in the Copenhagen City Council (København Kommune). .

For more than a decade, the Mjølnerparken residential area in Nørrebro, Copenhagen, was listed as a parallel community by the Ministry of the Interior and Housing. The list, which was called the “ghetto list,” includes residential areas with a high percentage of immigrants or descendants of immigrants, and where a high percentage of them are unemployed. But now it will be off that list, and for that reason, the majority in the Copenhagen municipality decided on Thursday evening to sell 260 houses in the area.

“Mjølnerparken will be transformed from a ghetto area, where there have been many problems for a very long time, into a normal residential area, because some new residents are coming,” said Jens Kristian Lütken, Mayor for Employment and Integration in Copenhagen.

The decision to sell a large portion of the homes comes at the same time that a group of Mjølnerparken residents have filed a lawsuit against the state for legislation regarding parallel communities, as they believe there is unlawful discrimination based on race.

In December, the High Court in the Eastern District granted residents permission to take the case to the Ministry of the Interior and Housing, which is still ongoing. Therefore, Janni Milsted, a resident of the area and vice-chair of the Housing Association, who was expecting an eviction from her home, was surprised that the municipality had given the green light for the sale before the lawsuit was decided.

But according to Copenhagen's integration and employment officer, Jens Christian Lötken, the lawsuit has no effect on stopping the decision, and at the same time it is a legal requirement for the municipality to complete the sale. He added, "At the same time I strongly agree with this legislation and it is the right way to go. The residents have a good right to file a lawsuit, but this is not something that slows things down.".

According to the source, the decision to sell now pleases the Ministry of the Interior and Housing, because although there is a pending lawsuit, it will not change the government's plans regarding Mjølnerparken, as Minister Kristian Rabberg Madsen pointed out.

According to the housing association Bo-Vita, residents who have to move will be offered another apartment in one of the association's residential areas in Copenhagen, or they will be helped to find a home elsewhere in the country.

About the Mjølnerparken area:

• In June 2021, the government introduced a new agreement for residential areas in Denmark that are classified as parallel communities (formerly known as ghettos). These areas include those with high unemployment rates, a high percentage of convicted criminals, and/or a high percentage of immigrants or descendants of immigrants.
• The agreement stipulates that a larger part of Mjølnerparken will be sold so that the residential area can have a new composition of residents.
• In 2020, a number of residents of Mjølnerparken filed a lawsuit against the state, as the residents believe that both the previous and new legislation discriminate against them on the basis of race.
• In December of last year, the Eastern High Court gave the green light for residents to take the case to the Ministry of the Interior and Housing.
• The date for a ruling on the case has not yet been determined.
  (Sources: DR, Politiken, Ministry of the Interior and Housing)