The Danish Connection

This week on The Danish Connection: We break down a new plan to roll out stun guns across police districts after a two-year trial, alongside a nearly 800-million-kroner funding boost from 2027 to expand the police and PET. We look at how the trial went, the human rights concerns already raised and how the new approach compares to police forces across Europe.We unpack Denmark’s biggest-ever data breach, after personal records belonging to roughly 8.8 million people in the CPR register, including deceased and former residents, were accessed through a two-person IT company whose admin accounts were secured with the password “123456.” We trace how the hacker reached out directly to Politiken and what they claim their motives were.Finally, we discuss a new Climate Atlas report warning that Danish waters are on track to resemble the Mediterranean, with marine heat waves potentially hitting every other day by the end of the century. We look at the disappearance of cod from Danish waters and the invasive species moving in to replace it.As always, you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email [email protected] and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

his week on The Danish Connection: We break down the new US-Denmark-Greenland security agreement, signed on September 22nd after nearly two years of escalating tension over Trump's repeated interest in controlling Greenland. We look at what's actually in the deal and how it compares to the original 1951 agreement it updates. We talk about the tragic case of a man setting himself on fire inside SIRI's Citizen Centre in Valby, which has gone largely unreported. We talk about what SIRI and the Danish Immigration Service actually do, how people mix the two up, and why the pressure of waiting on a permit is something that a lot of immigrants struggle with in Denmark.Plus, Maria Pagola is back with the next installment of Denmark's unwritten rules. This week she's talking about....trust.As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email [email protected] and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

This week on The Danish Connection: We discuss another scandal unfolding for The European Sperm Bank, with new revelations confirming that banks have been blowing past the legal family limit by as much as four times, while the national regulatory authority responsible for monitoring the banks cannot confirm that family limit checks have ever actually been conducted.We also look at Denmark's new crackdown on Airbnb speculation, as the government moves to fine "shadow hotel" operators up to 100,000 kroner per apartment and force platforms like Airbnb and Booking.com to hand over rental data.We unpack the governments plan for a total ban on mobile phones and private screens in Danish primary and lower secondary schools, announced days after Denmark posted its worst-ever PISA results. We ask whether phones are really the problem, or whether Denmark's strong emphasis on digital classrooms, teacher shortages in schools,and years of school reform are the bigger story.As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email [email protected] and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

This week on The Danish Connection: We unpack the long-awaited "spiral case" reports into decades of non-consensual IUD insertions on Greenlandic women and girls — and why the international expert panel split into two conflicting conclusions on whether it amounted to genocide.We discuss PET's warning that Russia has drawn up concrete sabotage plans targeting Denmark, including companies tied to military aid for Ukraine, and what this reveals about the scale of the threat facing Danish defence infrastructure.We talk about the farmers who drove 300 tractors into Copenhagen last week to protest the new nitrogen regulation law, L5, which just passed with a large majority in the Folketing. Plus: Maria Pagola is back with another season of Stories from the Streets. This time she is uncovering "De uskrevne regler," the unwritten rules of Danish life - the things that nobody tells you about, but everybody is expected to know. Rule number one is.....Silence.As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email [email protected] and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!

This week on The Danish Connection: We unpack Denmark's quiet but significant shift on Ukrainian refugees, as men of military age arriving after June 25th will no longer automatically qualify for protection under the special law introduced in 2022. We look at the EU-wide pressure behind the change, and the uncomfortable reality awaiting men sent back: from forced "busification" to documented violence against draft evaders.We discuss Inger Støjberg and Danmarksdemokraterne's package of 15 proposals targeting what the party calls "Islamic dominance culture" in Danish upper-secondary schools, which includes banning puffer jackets, fasting and headscarves to a proposed 25% ceiling on students with a non-Western background. We talk about how the debate connects to the Islamist group Hizb ut-Tahrir's recent outreach to young Muslims, and unpack who Støjberg is, including her conviction by Denmark's Court of Impeachment.Plus, we give a shout out to a volunteer-run Copenhagen choir made up of 19 nationalities, who took home a win at the World Choir Games this month.As always you can find us on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or by simply clicking the link in bio. Remember - this is your place to share enquiries, opinions and tales of the immigrant experience in Denmark - and we want to hear from you. Pop us a DM on Instagram or via email ⁠[email protected]⁠ and let us know if you have a story you would like to contribute. If you liked this episode and think it would be useful for someone you know - please share it with them!