ABSTRACT
At the peak of the so-called ‘refugee crisis’ in autumn 2015, Denmark was among the most inhospitable countries in the European Union. The welcoming culture that was sparked in neighbouring Sweden and Germany in the initial weeks of August and September 2015, mobilising substantial parts of the population in solidarity actions towards Syrian refugees in particular, did not extend to Denmark. Rather, the Danish government insisted on the strict application of the Dublin Regulation, rejecting the asylum applications of refugees who entered via its southern borders with Germany. Governmental EU positions are hardly challenged in the media, and journalists typically present a unified vision of Danish interests. Over time from 1970 to 2016, Danish newspapers have increasingly become harsher in their reporting on immigration, portraying immigration as a threat, unlike in Sweden where victim-frames were more frequent and in Norway where coverage is less harsh than in Denmark.
