Women across Denmark have complained of harassment by migrants who they accused of making them feel unsafe when out at night.
Lars Sloth of the town’s children and families unit said: “Several young women have felt unsafe on the streets, where they have been accosted by asylum seekers. The same thing has happened on the dance floor out in the nightlife.”
The Local reports that several migrants based at the camp have also been arrested for being intoxicated, he added, and police will now conduct a campaign to educate them about what constitutes acceptable behaviour in Denmark.
“First and foremost we want it to be safe and comfortable for all of our residents to move around in Thisted – including in the city’s nightlife. Therefore we are initiating extra measures that will contribute to better understanding, fewer conflicts and thus better security,” Mr Sloth said.
The problem also extends to several nightclubs in the Jutland towns of Sønderborg and Haderslev, which have reported migrants harassing female guests.
Glenn Hollender of Sønderborg club Den Flyvende Hollænder said: “We must say that a large number of the male guests who come from the local asylum centre have a very hard time respecting the opposite sex. In my eyes, it is harassment when one or more men continue to touch a young woman after she has said ‘stop’.”
One Syrian migrant who has lived in Denmark for several years told TV Syd that new arrivals in Haderslev “don’t know the rules” about how to treat women in Denmark.
“If they see a girl, they go nuts. They simply can’t handle it. The try to grab ahold of the girl’s clothes or paw her,” he said.
“In Syria and many other countries, it is not normal for a strange woman to smile at you. Those girls who are harassed aren’t necessarily scantily-dressed or drunk. Sometimes it is enough just to be a girl,” he added.