"If You Choose Not to Live Next to Migrants, You're Racist"

According to Sweden’s Social Democrats, Swedes also bear some responsibility for the failure to integrate migrants — a failure that has contributed to the emergence of no-go zones. They advocate for more mixed urban neighbourhoods, arguing that this could help curb crime. However, migrant-related crime is not limited to Sweden. In the UK, for example, illegal migrants crossing the English Channel in small boats commit crimes at a significantly higher rate than British nationals. In response to the ongoing crisis in the Channel, French police are now experimenting with new tactics.

Two Muslim Council representatives sit in front of the higher administrative court in Muenster, Germany, November 9, 2017. (Photo by Guido Kirchner / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP)

Moreover, migrants typically settle in areas where members of their own community already live — this has led to the formation of parallel societies in Sweden, much like in other Western European countries.

The difficulties of integration also have cultural roots. Recently, a Muslim student organisation was banned from hosting events at Charité University in Germany after being accused of gender segregation during its gatherings. The Medislam Collective, a Muslim student group, was found to have violated the Berlin-based Charité University’s anti-discrimination policy after footage surfaced showing men and women being separated by gender during a lecture. A spokesperson for Charité told the German outlet Bild that the group’s upcoming events had been suspended while an official investigation is underway.

It is not surprising, then, that Andersson — like most Swedes — does not wish to move into migrant-heavy neighbourhoods, where crime rates tend to be higher and clashes between migrant gangs, including shootings and bombings, are not uncommon. As V4NA has regularly reported, European crime statistics have shown a growing trend for years: migrants are overrepresented among criminal offenders relative to their share of the population.

Migrants over 70 Per Cent More Likely to Commit Sex Crimes Than Legacy Britonshttps://t.co/2KWG63Evyu

— Breitbart London (@BreitbartLondon) March 11, 2025

Illegal boat migrants in the United Kingdom are estimated to be 24 times more likely to be imprisoned for other offences than British citizens, according to analysis of government figures. The study looked at the 10,838 foreign criminals imprisoned at the end of March in England and Wales, excluding those who had obtained a British passport, according to Breitbart. Foreign passport holders had an imprisonment rate of 0.18 per cent when compared to the latest census in 2021, which recorded a population of 5.9 million. This compares to an imprisonment rate of 0.14 per cent for British citizens.

However, the analysis noted that the specific nationalities which make up the largest cohort of illegal boat migrants, including Afghans, Albanians, Iranians, Iraqis, and Somalians, have a much higher imprisonment rate than other groups.

Authorities Attempt New Tactics

As the number of migrants arriving in small boats shows no sign of declining, British and French authorities continue talks on how to curb illegal Channel crossings.

French police are now trialling a new method aimed at deterring both people smugglers and migrants from attempting the crossing. According to The Sun, officers are deploying jet skis to place nets in the sea, thereby preventing small boats from navigating across the Channel.

Footage emerged a few days ago showing French police slashing an inflatable boat full of migrants with a knife before towing the deflated vessel back to shore.

Authorities now believe that nets thrown into shallow water may entangle the propellers of small boats nearby, causing them to become stuck. According to The Sun, both the use of nets and the recent incident involving the punctured boat are experimental tactics designed to reduce the number of migrants arriving in the UK.

French President Emmanuel Macron is set to visit Sir Keir Starmer this week, and according to the paper, he is expected to present these methods on Thursday as part of a new strategy to halt small boat crossings. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper commented:

In recent months we’ve been working together to develop new ways of disrupting the operations of criminal gangs, and now the French are introducing important new tactics to stop boats at sea. We must do everything we can to strengthen our border security.

Cover photo: Illustration (Photo: AFP)