See the archive of this Transborder Cafe on Morgenbladet portalen
Moderator: Aslak Nore
Panalists: Rolf-Arne Kurthi (department manager, Police immigration unit), Solbjørg Mikkola (leader of Refugee Service Sør-Varanger), Olga Tseitlina (Russian lawyer working with Memorial Organization for Human Rights, Moscow), Shwan Dler Qaradaki (artist), Jan-Henrik Fredriksen (member of parliament for FrP Finnmark) and Tom Tallberg (director of Registration Center in Tornio).
Music: 1/2 Orchestra
Artistic Contribution: Shwan Dler Qaradaki
This year a new migration route sprung to life in the Arctic. By plane, train, taxi and bicycle new migrants streamed across the northern Schengen border between Norway, Finland and Russia. The new Arctic Route has tested the response of communities and immigration policy makers alike – on the one hand there is fear and trepidation of being overwhelmed by economic migrants whilst on the other, there is acceptance and welcoming of the new arrivals from war-torn or impoverished lands.
According to media reports some places on the Arctic Route seem safer than others, we are often lead to believe that certain safe havens offer protection and acceptance whilst migrants who find themselves in less fortunate situations are offered no support at all. Are these assumptions correct or is the issue not as simple as it seems? Can community attitudes shift as the headlines fade or immigration resources are stretched to breaking point? What is the right response for individual communities and nations in this question with global relevance?
Join us as our moderator, Aslak Nore, discusses the nuances that exist in the world of global migration politics and refugee responsibility. Nore has in the recent years established himself as one of the most distinct voices in Norwegian public life with the documentary books “God is Norwegian” (2007) and “Ekstremistan” (2009). Nore is also a commentator on VG and together with Asbjørn Slettemark, writes the crime blog op-5.no. The critically acclaimed thriller “A Norwegian spy” (2012) was Nore`s first novel about his spy-character Peter Wessel, with it`s sequel from 2014 “Oslo Noir”.