A speech given in Danish parliament by the spokesperson on integration issues from the Danish Social Democrats - one of the 3 parties making up the country's coalition government -, 29-year old Frederik Vad, led to widespread debate on integration in the country.

In his speech Vad claimed, with reference to a report published by Brå, the Crime Prevention Council in Sweden, that large numbers of people with an ethnic minority background are using their positions in Swedish society to undermine democratic values, and stated that several institutions for higher education in Denmark are housing students with a hidden agenda working against Danish society. Brå dismissed his 'misleading' interpretation of the report, and teachers from one of the higher education institutions have refuted his claims.

Many Danes with an ethnic minority background have said they feel personally affected by Vad's claims, among them Mohammad Rona from the Moderaterne party, who arrived in Denmark from Afghanistan as a child. In an interview he said that generalisations like those perpetuated by Vad serve to make migrants feel that they will always be targets of suspicion.
 
18 local politicians the from the Danish Social Democrats sent a joint letter of complaint about the statements made by Vad, stating that such language “creates polarisation and potential racism... [and] stigmatises a large population group that consists of well-educated, well-integrated and active citizens who contribute to Denmark every single day”.

Danish prime minister Mette Frederiksen said: “Of course we will not accept, and we will not defend, the fact that there are a great many people who today are insecure in their everyday lives in Denmark, because of people who have come here from outside. It is completely unacceptable”.
 
Right-wing party Venstre, the third member of the coalition government, advocated for assimilation and adoption of “Danish values”, the definition of which has been the subject of debate for decades. Two ministers, Morten Dahlin and Marie Bjerre, suggested banning Muslim marriage contracts and introducing “democratic interviews” as a new criteria for obtaining Danish citizenship. The citizenship test already includes 5 questions on “Danish values” among 45 questions on Danish society, culture and history.