All language subtitles for T C S01E05 1080p WEB h264-EDITH_track3_[eng]

We have parents starving
to feed their children.

Enough is enough!

Salmon farming is a fucking
environmental catastrophe.

If we don't stand together,

we cannot have this country we
want.

[people chanting]

NARRATOR: In today's world,

everybody wants their voice to
be heard.

Do not think this will not
affect you.

NARRATOR: But when the people
in power don't listen...

The laws that are being put out
now is purely out of hatred.

NARRATOR: ...you need to come
together to make real change.

Don't walk past here with your
noses up.

NARRATOR: In this global
series,

we will follow a team
of international activists.

You have to speak out,
you have to use your voice,

you have to be courageous,
and you have to be brave.

Nobody should be abandoned to
die.

We can save many lives if we
act

not through hatred, violence,
or division.

NARRATOR: These activists will
inspire

and revolutionize the work
of local campaigners...

Now we face a threat of
extinction

of everything we know and love.

NARRATOR: ...who are
struggling to make a
difference

in their own communities.

It is Black people who are
being murdered

by a system that doesn't care
enough about them.

Y'all ready? Y'all ready?

NARRATOR: As they work
together

to see if they can shine a
light on injustice

and transform their lives for
good.

This work is, like, super
important.

It's really life or death,

so, good luck.

Stand up, fight back!

NARRATOR: Today,
more than 108 million people

have been forcibly displaced

by economic collapse,
persecution, and war.

[explosion]

NARRATOR: And as the climate
crisis gathers pace,

more than 20 million people
per year

are having to find new homes.

There are more migrants on the
move around the world today

than at any time since World
War II, some 95 million.

NARRATOR: Global governments
are wrestling

with the scale of the issue.

[crowd chanting]

NARRATOR: And the rise of
the right wing across Europe

has placed immigration at
the very heart of politics.

And lastly, we've got to stop
the boats crossing the channel.

NARRATOR: One country
traditionally perceived

as a safe haven is Denmark.

It currently hosts
more than 30,000 Syrians,

but the coalition government
is doing all it can

to make them feel unwelcome

and make the country
as unattractive as possible

to anyone else wanting to seek
asylum.

I am forever temporary in here.

I cannot take that thought out
of my head.

NARRATOR: In this episode,
we'll explore

the unique challenges facing
Syrian women.

NARRATOR: As they face the
constant threat

of being uprooted
to deportation centers...

It's really getting heavy on my
chest.

It's starting to be more
triggering.

NARRATOR: ...by a government
that doesn't want them.

This is simply making people
feel insecure, unwanted.

It's clear it's not about

Denmark having zero asylum
seekers,

it's about Denmark
having zero asylum seekers

from the Middle East.

[people chanting]

[mellow instrumental melody
playing]

My name is Haya.

I recently turned 29.

I work as an architecture
technologist

in an architectural office
here in Copenhagen.

I really have a thing
to create public buildings,

meaningful buildings.

This is the structure of the
wall,

which is a bit too much.

NARRATOR: Haya is a Syrian
refugee

who fled her home city of
Aleppo

at the outbreak of the civil
war.

- COLLEGE: 150.
- 150, great.

NARRATOR: She was granted
temporary refugee status in
2015

and has been living in
Denmark for the past eight
years.

HAYA: In Syria, I left when I
saw my city destroyed.

Why I came to Europe is because
I was 21,

I wanted to have a home,
I wanted to have a career,

and a fair chance for a new
life.

So, that's why I chose Denmark.

NARRATOR: Denmark is
perceived

as one of the world's most
socially progressive
countries,

leading in equality, climate,

and rights for the LGBTQIA+
community.

Historically, the country has
shown

a staunch commitment to human
rights

by pledging protection for
refugees

fleeing war and
persecution...

but Haya's experience of
Denmark paints a different
picture.

There is all this thing
about Denmark is open,

come here, we are, like, the
happiest country whatsoever.

If you come here with a
different color

and a different background than
European,

then you are actually not
welcomed.

Not if you come from the Middle
East.

NARRATOR: The right wing
media

has fueled an anti-immigration
sentiment

with stories of economic
migration,

cultural disintegration and
crime.

There is a real fear
of Middle Eastern people

and people with Islamic
backgrounds.

NARRATOR: The Danish
government is capitalizing on
this fear

to pursue a zero asylum
policy,

one of the most ruthless in
the world.

It's the people who are seeing
the media,

it's those people who are
voting the politicians in.

NARRATOR: And Haya is using
her activism to fight back.

Beside my work, I'm a public
speaker and an activist.

I put my story and myself out
there

because I am sick of how I am
represented.

It's easier to control people
when you have this common enemy

and that is the drive for my
activism.

The point is that the situation
in Denmark right now

is similar to this,
we are all in the same boat

and if we don't stand together,
if we don't help each other,

we cannot have this country we
want,

we cannot have the equality
or the freedom we want.

I believe I need the world to
see what Denmark is doing.

They need to be accountable for
the way

they have been treating
refugees

by the world and by their
people.

NARRATOR: Haya has been
championing her cause alone

for the past few years

and is in need of some
support

to push her campaign
and reach more people.

Dr. Waheed Arian
from The Changemakers team

is traveling from the UK
to collaborate with her.

One of the main aspects of my
activism

for refugees and migrants is to
highlight

first and foremost, we're human
beings like anybody else.

We have human rights.

NARRATOR: Waheed fled
the Afghanistan Soviet war

of the 1990s.

He arrived in the UK age 15

where he studied to become
an emergency doctor.

Now, as well as being a
frontline medic,

Waheed is a global
humanitarian and author.

He uses his own life story

to advocate for refugees
around the world.

The reason why I think that
it's important

to raise other people's voices
is because in many instances

when it comes to refugees and
migrants,

their lives depend on it.

The policies are shaped

by how we talk about the
refugees and migrants.

Through the media, refugees and
migrants

continuously are being
politicized,

weaponized, and marginalized

and that's why
there's so much at stake here.

We have to tell these stories

so people are informed across
the globe

and the policies are changed
accordingly.

NARRATOR: Waheed
will be spending two weeks

with Haya in Copenhagen.

With his high profile media
experience,

he's hoping to expand her
story to impact a broader
audience

and to help sow the seeds
of change in public opinion.

WAHEED: On one hand, I am
looking forward to meeting Haya

and finding out more about
what's going on in Denmark.

I am wary that it's going to be
a very emotional trip for me

and when I try to immerse
into their stories too much

and my own memories come back.

[calming guitar melody playing]

- HAYA: Hello!
- WAHEED: Hello, Haya!

Hello!

So nice to meet you finally.

So nice to meet you!

WAHEED: I want to ask you so
many things.

HAYA: Oh, my God, this is,
like, a whole conversation.

Tell me everything, tell me.

I think the biggest offer
that I can provide

for somebody who wants my
guidance

is acknowledging
what they've been through.

I reflect back on the times

when people have taken interest
in my story,

it means the world.

This is a very nice bakery.

- Oh, is it?
- Yes.

HAYA: I came in the end of 2015

and I arrived alone

and I was 21 when I came here.

How about you, when did you
arrive?

I came to the UK in 1999.

- HAYA: Okay.
- I was 15

and I was a child refugee

and I came on my own as well.

I arrived on a plane, but when
I landed,

I was arrested and I was sent
to prison

because I didn't have
the right documentation.

- HAYA: A 15-year-old arrested?
- A 15-year-old.

I'll let you know about myself,

but I'm here to learn so much
about you,

how you thought about the
country when you first came

and what do you think about it
now?

The household I grew in,
we always looked up to Europe.

It is the place that is open

and you're accepted no matter
what,

so I had this expectation
of coming in here.

Most of the people that I
encountered

as Danish population

are compassionate and
empathetic.

Some people are not
and that's because of the media

and the way they portray people
coming from the Middle East.

Sometimes their reaction would
be,

- "Hey, where are you from?"
- "I'm from Syria."

"Okay."

WAHEED: And then they sort of
stopped?

Yes, exactly.

WAHEED: I had something
similar.

I was reluctant to talk

that I was coming from
Afghanistan

because so much in the news was
happening.

It was the September 11 attack
that happened at that time

and in the media,
everything was associated

with terrorism,

bombings, everything else.

So, it was difficult for me.

So, is this something that
inspired you

to become an activist as well?

HAYA: Yes.

My activism right now

is mostly this storytelling.

I go to young people between 18
and 25

and I share my story with them.

The essence of your activism,

that's the essence
of the advocacy that I do.

It's storytelling to let people
see us as human beings.

- That's it.
- HAYA: Yeah, exactly.

That's what we want
and you're so inspiring,

but you're telling me and I
was, like, buzzing with energy.

HAYA: [laughing] Thank you.

WAHEED: It was
a great pleasure to meet Haya

who is a refugee

with so many potentials,
like so many other refugees.

And I think perhaps I'm looking
not only

to find intersections between
my journey and her journey,

but to know more about females
like her

who are actually
in more vulnerable positions.

She came on her own.

I can only imagine
what she's been through.

So actually it's a testament
to not only her strength,

but her determination
to keep improving the situation

for other people who come in,
not just her own life.

[calming piano melody playing]

NARRATOR: Haya lives with
friends

and balances her full time
job with her campaigning.

In Syria, we had this amazing,
easy life.

We used to have a big house

with maids and people cooking.

My father passed away
when I was very young.

My mom, she was a lady.

She was really kind to others.

She also made sure that
me and my brother understand

that we are privileged.

We had everything we wanted.

Swimming classes,

started riding at some point.

I was a princess.

I was living like one.

When I was a teenager,
we had a normal life.

Out in cafes and eat

and party and being social.

And just like this,

life suddenly turned and...

it was a war.

People went out
and said they wanted freedom

and then the minute they asked
for it,

they got killed by the regime,

by airplanes, by barrels.

After we left Syria,

my family was broken.

It's like the country has
shattered us.

I don't speak
about my old life for a reason,

because...

it's very painful to think
about how much we've lost.

So, I decided to come to
Denmark.

I decided to flee to Europe.

[mellow instrumental melody
playing]

NARRATOR: Voices from the
right of Danish politics

continually cite the burden
on Denmark's welfare state

as one of the main arguments
for opposing immigration.

NARRATOR: This morning,
Waheed has arranged a meeting

with renowned human rights
lawyer, Niels-Erik Hansen.

He wants to explore what may
lay beneath

the government's policies
towards immigrants.

WAHEED: Now, I really want to
find out

how things have changed in a
country

that was well known for human
rights

and well known for the quality
of life

and suddenly Denmark is
actually

not one of those countries
for people like Haya.

I really would like to find out

whether it's to do with
structural racism,

whether it's to do with
Islamophobia.

WAHEED: Hello. Very nice
to meet you, Mr. Niels-Erik.

Thank you so much for having
me.

I've always regarded
Scandinavian countries,

and in particular Denmark,
in very high regard.

You score so highly
on education, health care,

um, index of happiness,

the work life balance,

so a lot of people
look up to you and, of course,

that's the image I had in my
mind,

but what confuses me,
of course, is the immigration,

because this was a welcoming
country.

Denmark took on the refugee
obligations.

Consequently, there is a duty

to provide protection to those
in need.

During the '90s, the Danish
People's Party

and the far right wing parties

took on these very xenophobic

and Islamophobic statements.

At the beginning, other parties
would not cooperate.

However, that changed back in
2001.

This is the real tragedy in
Denmark,

that the Danish People's Party
and the far right wing parties

were allowed to take on power

together with the government

because that would then
allow all of these rights

that people would have before,
family reunification

to permanent residence to
citizenship,

all of that has been removed.

How has that impacted
asylum seeking refugees

recently over the past few
years?

Social Democrats

and the majority
of political parties in Denmark

has decided by law

that rather than

giving the refugees permanent
residence,

this is temporary and as soon
as the situation gets better

in their country of origin,
you should go home.

How can Denmark determine
that Syria is safe?

Syria is not safe

for those who are now
in Denmark as refugees.

In fact, no other European
countries

have made a similar decision.

It just doesn't make sense to
me that somebody would send me
back

to Afghanistan knowing that the
second day

I could be arrested, put in a
prison,

or murdered by somebody.

It's just really shocking to
me.

What I'm telling my clients

when they lose their residence
permit,

when they are told that now
they must go back

since there is no agreement
between the Danish authorities

and the dictatorship in
Damascus,

no one can be forced to leave.

WAHEED: So what happens to
them?

They will then have to go

to this deportation center in
limbo.

They can't work, they can't be
educated,

they can't do no nothing.

And then I tell my clients,

you have been used now to send
the message

to all of those potential
asylum seekers

that Denmark would be the last
place to go

and seek asylum as a Syrian
refugee.

The aim is to put people off,
deter them,

even if it's at the cost
of their human rights.

My mind went straight into the
situation

when I was an asylum seeker in
the UK.

I was waiting for my permit

to be renewed every three
months,

that temporary leave to remain.

Thankfully, I was given refugee
status,

but four, five years down the
line,

if they told me that it's time
for you to pack your bags,

take me to a detention center
in Heathrow

from where I arrived in the
first place,

I would be absolutely
mortified.

We can't be compliant
with what's going on.

These are human lives,
there are more than 100 million

forcibly displaced people
across the world.

There are 450 million children
of war and I'm one of them,

so it's a human obligation on
all of us

in a society to stand up.

NARRATOR: 30 minutes north of
Copenhagen

is the Sandholm Refugee
Receiving Center

where Haya has arranged for
Waheed

to meet with a friend and
fellow activist.

- Hi!
- JAWAHER: Nice to see you!

- My name is Waheed.
- My name is Jawaher.

- Nice to meet you.
- Nice to meet you too.

NARRATOR: Haya
wants Waheed to understand

the pressures facing refugees
in Denmark.

This is receiving center.

All the refugees
when they come into Denmark,

this is the first place people
come to.

There is a lot of different
nationalities.

I think it's so important
there is some volunteers here

because, you know,
when you can communicate

with people in their language,

they get so happy when I can
speak Kurdish with them

or Arabic, so.

- So you speak Kurdish.
- I speak Kurdish.

- And Arabic.
- JAWAHER: And Arabic.

That's amazing. What other
languages do you speak?

JAWAHER: I can also do a little
French and Spanish a little
bit.

You're multilingual in that
sense

and I can only imagine,

you know, they've been through
so much when they come here

and then suddenly they see
a smiley face like yours.

You already made me feel
welcome when I came in here

and I can imagine
that when somebody who's,

you know, God knows, been
through so much,

this makes such a big
difference.

They are so thankful and they
are so happy

and they appreciate it so much.

I'm glad to help them
and make a difference.

NARRATOR: As well as
volunteering,

Jawaher is in her second year
of study

in public administration at
university.

However, like many Syrian
friends of hers,

her temporary status means
she lives in perpetual
anxiety

over her future in Denmark.

- Hello.
- Hello, darling.

NARRATOR: Jawaher's residency
is up for renewal

in just four months.

NARRATOR: Along with her own
residency status to renew,

Jawaher has the
responsibility

for arranging her entire
family's.

NARRATOR: The family
were granted temporary asylum

via a family reunification
law

that connects them all to
her father's refugee status.

[mellow dramatic music playing]

NARRATOR: Three days into his
stay,

Haya and Waheed are traveling
to Northeast Denmark.

**

WAHEED: It's a very beautiful
scenery.

I think it's beautiful for a
visit or if you're a tourist.

NARRATOR: Haya was brought
here and held in an asylum
center

after arriving alone
from her long journey.

WAHEED: When refugees, they
leave,

the majority of them have no
choice

except just to run for their
life...

and they find any route they
can...

because if you think
about fleeing war or bombs,

you don't fill out an
application online

because there is no internet,

there is no embassy to go to.

So, you take whatever route you
can.

HAYA: After I left Syria with
my family,

we first went to Lebanon

and I couldn't study
in the university there

and in Egypt the same thing...

so I had to leave to Turkey,

but there was no future as a
woman

with a Syrian citizenship.

You have to find a man,
you have to get married,

and you have to-- There are so
many things expected

and that's not the future
I saw for myself.

NARRATOR: Like many refugees,

Haya crossed the
Mediterranean on a small
boat

from Turkey to reach Europe,

a journey, it is estimated,

has cost the lives of over
27,000 men, women, and
children

since 2014.

HAYA: When I made the decision
of taking the boat to Greece,

I really didn't have any hope

that there would be
anything else left for me.

I knew it was dangerous.

I knew there is, like,

I don't know, a 70% chance
that I wouldn't make it.

I grew up with stories about
Europe,

about equality,

about human rights, about
independence...

so, for me, it was...

it was what I was hanging onto.

For me, taking that boat
was the only thing I had left.

I... was either going
to take my life myself

or I was going to take that
boat...

so I'm dying anyway.

HAYA: Well, this is the place,
it's here.

WAHEED: What is it called?

It's called the Thisted
Vanderheim Skinnerlp.

I call it the shit hole.

NARRATOR: The asylum center

is situated in the remote
rural countryside,

more than 300 kilometers from
Copenhagen

and is isolated from
mainstream society.

It used to have a flag,

a big flag that said hostel on
it.

NARRATOR: Denmark divides
those seeking asylum

into either families or
singles

and has separate centers for
each.

As it's unusual for a Muslim
woman

to make the treacherous
journey to Europe alone,

21-year-old Haya
was automatically held here

in an asylum center that held
predominantly single men.

WAHEED: You said
that you came in late at night?

HAYA: Mhm.

Do you remember when you
dropped?

The bus parked here.

It was raining.

Did they explain to you
where you are coming

or what to expect and what's
gonna happen?

There was someone talking, for
sure.

But I was, like, out.

I was mentally out.

[melancholic music playing]

NARRATOR: The asylum center
has been moved to another
location

and the building is now
abandoned.

This was the women's wing

and this is the men part.

I've never been in here.

WAHEED: Okay.

I know this is men and that's
women.

Their idea of separation

and there is no one at night in
here.

There is a number you could
call in case of emergency...

if you can get to the phone
in an emergency.

The first night I came in...

there was a pack of men...

standing while we were exiting
the bus.

I was scared, I felt unsafe.

The men were here while we were
going in

and that memory
is the worst memory I have.

People can research it
themselves about

what kind of horrific actions

the Assad Regime did towards
the woman.

You know, just walking in here

and then just having
people looking at you and...

Okay.

And that's where I fainted.

So, those who are affected by
conflict,

up to 22% suffer from anxiety,
from depression,

from post traumatic stress
disorder.

Sadly, I was one of those
people.

It's really kind of getting,

how do you call it, like,
heavy on my chest?

It's starting to be more
triggering.

Yeah, it's really, like,
I could see it from here.

I'm just, like...

But you don't have to, please.

You should stop whenever you
feel like stopping.

HAYA: Yeah.

[electricity buzzing]

NARRATOR: Haya was held
at the center alone

for nine months

while the authorities
decided whether to approve
her case for asylum

or to send her to a
deportation center.

WAHEED: What were you doing?

Like, let's say morning, you
wake up.

What was your routine?

HAYA: I wasn't myself when I
was here.

So I didn't have any...

any energy to do anything.

I was mostly in my room.

And you were aware of your
needs,

you know, what do you need?

Because you just told me
that you were completely numb.

Exactly.

You were numb yourself

and you were losing interest
and things

you were not eating probably.

HAYA: No, no.

Not that much, and these are,

you know, signs of depression.

I never went to a psychologist.

No one told me about mental
health.

You're not sleeping well,
you're not eating well,

you're losing interest
in day-to-day activities,

you don't have much hope,

these are the classical
symptoms.

When I was a 10 to 12 year old,

I had these symptoms in
Afghanistan

because there was no hope.

I lost--

I completely lost touch with
reality.

Like, what is this life living
for

if I have to run here and
there?

But for you to experience that
here in--

in a prison,

a tough situation,
is, I think, the big tragedy.

I wouldn't even call it irony.

I think it's a tragedy.

I'm sorry, I'm sorry.

[melancholic instrumental music
playing]

HAYA: I feel angry towards this
place.

This could have been done so
much better.

Like, take the Ukrainian
refugees when they came.

Have any of them been put in
this place

or any place like this?

WAHEED: Where are they put?

HAYA: They can be put with a
family,

with a Danish family.

They can get integrated

into society from day three or
four.

When I came in 2015, you have
to give

also your jewelry when you come
in.

WAHEED: You have to give your
jewelry?

Yeah, that's a rule in Denmark.

WAHEED: But do these rules
apply to Ukrainian refugees?

No.

- WAHEED: They're exempt?
- Yeah.

The refugee rules in here are
inhumane

and now we have refugees
from Ukraine coming.

- It was, like--
- WAHEED: Completely different.

It's a completely different
scenario, it's very welcoming.

WAHEED: And how a refugee
should be treated.

How a person who experienced
war should be treated.

I'm very happy that Ukrainians

don't have to go through this

and I'm happy that it's clear.

It's not about Denmark
having zero asylum seekers,

it's about Denmark
having zero asylum seekers

from the Middle East.

NARRATOR: Waheed is all the
more aware

of the psychological effects
upon those enduring detention

and is more determined than
ever

to help hire and amplify the
voices

of other isolated and
vulnerable refugees.

[inquisitive instrumental music
playing]

WAHEED: Hi, Flavia, hi, Sean,
hi, Trinice.

NARRATOR: Back in Copenhagen,
he wants to touch base

with The Changemakers team,

update them on his findings,

and share his plan.

TRINICE: Hi, how are you?

I'm good, Trinice, how are you?
Good to see you.

I'm good, I'm good,
it's a hot day in Nigeria.

I imagine it's cold where
you're at right now, too.

It is the two sides, the two
extremes,

but I came to Denmark and I
didn't know actually a lot

about the politicization

and really, dehumanization of
refugees here.

The media seems
to have become an echo chamber

of those policies as well

where it's that certain
narrative is being drummed
subtly

and it's been notched up
slowly and slowly.

And then we have Haya,
who's a grassroots activist,

who's fighting this
politicization of refugees.

Where's Haya from? Is Haya
from Syria?

She's from Syria and she left
her family

when the war broke out.

She had to take this journey on
her own

and since she's been here

she had really traumatic
experiences in Denmark

where she was put, for example,

in a detention center for many
months

with many males, um,

and that really shocked me.

There are allegedly around 100
laws that have been created

over the past few years

to make it very hard for people
to come in

and when they come in, it's
absolute hell.

So, that's, in a nutshell,
what's been going on here.

I just want to hear
what your thoughts are.

So, it feels really
interesting how places in
Europe,

they really lead with this,
like, utopian kind of lens,

like, we are a safe place,

we're an affirming place
for refugees, et cetera,

and that's not actually the
case.

And I wanted to know, like,
what are Ukrainians
experiencing,

like, in Denmark right now?

Since the Ukraine war broke
out,

suddenly, they've realized that
the laws are too harsh for
refugees.

They stripped those laws or
changed them into more
accommodating laws

to make sure that Ukrainian
refugees come in,

which is the right thing to do,
by the way.

The way that Ukrainians are
being treated, right, this is
not a negative offering,

what we're saying
is we need to interrogate

why is it that Ukrainians
are being treated in this way,
right,

and other folks are not?

And we know that that is
because of racism

and in the US, we have very
similar racist pieces

of immigration legislation and
policies.

I would argue
probably throughout the West.

SEAN: I appreciate that
racism

is at the root of the
difference in treatment, for
example,

and I think it's an important
thing to call out,

but I wonder on the grander
level,

why-- why it is that there's
this difference in treatment?

Could it be, for example,
that the antagonist

is one that Europeans have
known since the Cold War?

Russia is the bad guy and so
Ukrainians are the victims,

the Ukrainians can come in and
seek safety

whereas in the context of the
Middle East,

the war on terror has framed,
effectively, entire regions

that we find it hard to
understand

people who come from these
areas are victims of
violence

and not perpetrators of it.

Yeah.

WAHEED: I think it's a really
difficult conversation

and I think that we have to
look at how we start engaging
with the public,

start engaging with youth
politicians.

It will be a long shot.

It's not going to change things
overnight

but I do think
that's the right thing to do.

Doctor, you're absolutely
right.

Her telling her story
is what will break that down

because these narratives and
heuristics can be broken down

by just exposing them to be
false.

NARRATOR:
The Danish government maintains

that the differential treatment
of Ukrainians

is merely because they are
neighbors.

To explore further, Waheed has
arranged a radio debate

with Haya and three young
aspiring politicians

from all sides of the political
spectrum,

including Dansk Folkeparti
and the nationalist right wing.

WAHEED: Haya, she's very
articulate, she's a great
activist.

How can she manage her emotion
on one hand

but on the other hand
start creating that debate,

that interaction more with the
people she doesn't agree with?

Coping with the right wing
rhetoric is really not an easy
thing.

WAHEED: It's quite easy to get
caught in the back and forth
battle,

which is what's the right wing
wants from us.

Can you shout at me?

Can you really point out
who you are, who I am?

If I take a step back and say,
"You know what?

No, I won't give you what you
want."

The best way to disarm people

who are against the refugees,
for example in this case,

is to get them to listen to you

so you can change their mind

and I think that's the big way
to force the change in the long
term

is how can she influence
the younger generation

who are going to be
politicians?

- BOTH: Hello!
- Hello, welcome.

- Come on in.
- HAYA: Thank you.

WAHEED: Thank you.

**

HAYA: I'm very excited,
honestly.

Like, very charged, excited
and, like, fire-- firing.

And, like, I want to meet them,
I want to meet them.

I have to tell you that, having
done this for a very long time
now myself

amongst the politicians
or even world leaders,

some of whom do not agree
with what I'm saying,

even after so many years,
the hurt will be there,

but how to move on from that
and bring them to the table

where there is more logic,
agreement, reasoning.

Although I am very energized
about the policies,

but I really want to drag them
first to me as a human

and through me to so many other
people

and hopefully that will be
the case with you as well.

I'm ready for the challenge.

NARRATOR: Before the debate
goes to air,

news breaks that the far
right representative has
pulled out.

Haya and Waheed will instead
debate with the two liberal
parties

whose seniors hold a
majority in the Danish
Coalition.

[opening music playing]

WAHEED: Good afternoon,
everyone. My name is Waheed
Arian.

I am an emergency doctor in
the UK

and I'm a former refugee from
Afghanistan.

HAYA: My name is Haya.
I'm a Syrian refugee.

I came here to Denmark in
2015.

I am an architectural
technologist

and beside my work, I'm also an
activist

and a public speaker for
refugees and women rights in
Denmark.

My name is Maria and I'm
president of Radikal Ungdom,

the Danish Social Liberal
Youth.

My name is Simon and I'm the
spokesperson for Economics
Affairs

at Venstres Ungdom
or the Liberal Youth Party.

So, I came here in 2015

and that means I came
with a big wave of refugees.

Suddenly by the end of 2015,
the rules started to change

and that was
when the Venstre was in power,

which is the senior party
that Simon represents.

The jewelry rule where you have
to give your jewelry away

the minute you arrived in
Denmark, that's a law.

Being kind of forced to
understand

I am forever temporary here.

I cannot take that thought out
of my head.

It's, like, you are not to be
in here.

WAHEED: So, can you see how
this is all impacting lives?

So, it's not just numbers
we are talking about here.

Simon, why has Denmark taken
such a hardline response to
immigration,

for example, your party, the
senior party?

Many of the people that my
senior party

and also [indistinct]
represents

are people who live in the
outer parts of Denmark,

people who have suffered
from globalization,

maybe lost their jobs

and I think that in those parts
of Denmark

where I also come from myself,
the view is very much

that the refugees come and take
our jobs

and that's one of the main
reasons for the hard line on
the immigration policy,

but I don't agree in the
reasoning

that refugees
is the cause of these problems.

This is the first time I hear
an argument about
globalization.

The arguments I heard is that
refugees

come with a different culture
than Danish culture,

they're going to take over the
Danish-ness

and that was quite clear

because the rules have changed
just last year for Ukrainian
refugees.

I don't think it's
globalization, I think it's
more about fear.

WAHEED: I was very encouraged
by Haya.

I could see that she was trying
to understand

the points of view of the
policy makers

and she was allowing them
to present their cases.

SIMON: In 2015, the Danish Vote
Party,

they gained over 20%
on this agenda of fear,

on this agenda of hate

and then other parties adapted
it and that--

Yeah, I'm not proud
of what Venstre have done

in adapting this hard line.

HAYA: I had hope
when Ukrainian refugees came

because I saw the welcoming

and I was like, "Yes, we're
going to change the rules right
now,"

but instead creating a special
law.

If a person comes from
Afghanistan or Iraq or Africa,

they would still have
to give their jewelry,

they would still have to sit
in receiving centers.

Maria, why is there a
difference?

I can't think of any logical
way you can justify the special
law

for Ukrainian refugees.

I think it comes down to bias
and racism.

How can we solve this issue
of difference in the treatment?

Keeping the conversation going,

making sure that people hear
voices that are different from
the ones

that are usually being fed
is really important.

WAHEED: At the end of the
debate, I saw the young
policymakers

were agreeing with Haya.

Ukraine doesn't integrate
better because they're
Ukrainians,

they integrate better because
we have treated them better,

so I hope that this could be a
leading point

for the government and the
policymakers.

This more welcoming way
of treating refugees

could also apply to other
groups.

So thank you so much, everyone.

That was the result that she
was looking for and I was
looking for,

to have an understanding, which
happened.

I think the big challenge now
for Haya will be

to involve the policymakers who
are in position at the moment.

That is a huge step.

But I do think that she's
capable of achieving that.

NARRATOR: Waheed is just over
halfway through his time in
Denmark.

This afternoon, he's arranged
an important meeting for
Jawaher.

WAHEED: Okay. Should we go in?

NARRATOR: He wants to
introduce her

to specialist lawyer,
Niels-Erik Hansen.

- JAWAHER: Hi!
- NIELS-ERIK: Hi!

[indistinct chatter]

NARRATOR: With many clients
in the same situation as
Jawaher,

Waheed hopes she'll benefit

from some advice on her
impending immigration battle.

NARRATOR: Motivated by the
threats,

Denmark's deportation centers
have to refugees...

Hi, Sean, nice to see you. How
are you?

How are you, doc? It's good to
see you.

NARRATOR: Waheed has arranged
to speak with his fellow
Changemaker, Sean,

to discuss Haya's plans for
their final piece of activism.

So, I've had the opportunity to
spend a bit of time with Haya
and Jawaher

to find out more about their
situation,

their lived experience of being
in this massive legal web

and, sadly, it's designed

such that they put refugees
and asylum seekers

in a deportation center.

People like Haya and Jawaher
could very much end up there.

They could suffer physically,
they could suffer mentally,

including PTSD,
re-traumatization.

I don't think
that many people in the public

are aware of these policies

or the implications of such
policies.

It's frightening how swiftly
people's human rights can be
taken away.

Have you and Haya discussed
what you can do about it?

So, Haya has come up with the
idea

to put a deportation center on
a poster,

but then use some irony,

paint it as this beach holiday,

but on the other hand, they
find out that this is actually
not a holiday,

but this is a center,
it's built for human beings,

but the conditions are
inhumane.

It's a fairly unusual
approach to take, isn't it?

Because whenever usually we
have visuals

around issues of migration or
suffering,

we tend to have a child
with a fly on its eye,

devastating images,

and to now twist it and use
irony

might be a fresh way
of grabbing an audience

that might be oversaturated
with a lot of these images.

That might be a really good
way of grabbing attention.

So most of my advocacy
is through social media,

through media, public speaking.

I haven't really done posters

and this is something
of a new experience for me.

I'm excited. I'm also nervous.

I'm sure it will go really
well

and I'm looking forward
to seeing the results.

[train horn honks]

NARRATOR:It's the day of the
final activism.

HAYA: Maybe here on the corner.

NARRATOR: Haya, Waheed,
Jawaher, and a team of fellow
activists

have descended on central
Copenhagen.

We have those posters,
some plaster and some glue

and then we're going to
exchange this beautiful
advertisement

with a more beautiful one.

NARRATOR: Haya's plan
is to expose the truth

of Denmark's deportation
centers to the Danish
public.

I think we do need an
eye-catcher,

something where they are
looking

and they are seeking the
information.

- I'll bring more posters.
- Thank you.

NARRATOR: Haya's poster
utilizes

the country's famous dark
sense of humor,

inviting Danes to consider a
holiday stay at Kärshovedgard,

the government's most
controversial deportation
center.

What do you think other people
will immediately see

- when they come out of the
station? - HAYA: Yeah.

The holiday, dream holiday, the
beach--

Yeah, and then they will be,
like, "Deportation center?

What the fuck is this?"
[laughs]

NARRATOR: Until her case is
decided,

Jawaher lives with the
prospect

of being sent to the very
same deportation center.

HAYA: I think if any Danish
person

gets to stay there one night,

I think the Danish people
will be horrified.

The living situation is beyond
bad.

The basic human conditions are
not met.

You can't work, you can't
study, you can't be a member of
society

and you don't know
how long you're staying there.

It could be for five, it could
be for six, it could be for 10
years

and if people knew,

they would literally be
demonstrating for months

until these places are closed.

Those people, they need help.

[indistinct]

That's the seal of approval.

What is your, in a way,
realistic outcome from all
this?

When people are walking around
here, they're going to see this
place,

they're going to Google the
name, they're going to have,
like--

it's going to have an impact on
them.

Why is this poster saying this
and that?

So, this poster is going to
maybe

strike a curiosity on them to
learn more

and I think that's what this is
about.

It's, like, a way of raising
awareness.

WAHEED: I think
the next plan would be for you

to talk about this holiday on
camera

and I would love
to put it on social media.

Then-- then, as you've all
said,

that you want the politicians
to know about this,

maybe you can inform them,
you know, tag their offices.

- What do you think?
- Yeah, I think so.

I think we should tag everyone
and then just tell them, you
know,

just pay the place to visit and
see how people actually live
there.

I think it's important just to
be aware about what's
happening.

Okay.

So, hello, everyone.

If you're looking to a new
holiday, I have a special
experience

if you would like to try it.

The Danish government is
offering

an all-inclusive indefinite
stay at Kärshovedgard.

If you're asking what is
Kärshovedgard, it's basically a
deportation center.

If you need to escape conflict,
persecution, or torture,

you have to be very careful

because we have some terms and
conditions you need to be aware
about.

There is no ledger, no future,
no routines, no cooking,

no place for religious
practice, no work,

no possibility of education
because who needs education,

no possibility to learn Danish,
stigmatization,
criminalization.

May induce posttraumatic
stress,

self-harm, suicide attempts,
depression, and anxiety.

The Dream Holiday in
Kärshovedgard.

We would like to invite
everyone

to come and see
the conditions by themselves

and see if they can live in
such places.

If you want to know more,
please contact the Danish
government.

- Thank you a lot.
- WAHEED: Bang on!

The next step is hopefully
to circulate that around,

not only in Denmark,
but hopefully around the globe.

That people--
these centers shouldn't exist

and refugees should be treated
as human beings

as you and I, we both believe.

Put our hands together.
[indistinct] Yes!

- Okay. Yes. Okay.
- Oh, yes.

[all cheering, laughing]

[hopeful piano melody playing]

You know, for me, I get
disappointed,

I get upset, I get angry,

I get very emotional when
I talk about inequalities,

especially affecting
marginalized communities,

whoever they may be,
refugees or non-refugees,

but I also thrive on the
compassion of people and the
kindness.

So, meeting people like Haya,
like Jawaher,

and also the communities who
support them,

the lawyer who I met, these are
the people who give me hope.

They want to elevate the voices
of marginalized communities.

They're all fighting, so we're
all fighting the same fight

and although the negative
rhetoric is on the rise,

on the other side, there are
always people

who could do something.

HAYA: Okay, can you all look
here?

Yes, look here and smile.

I am happy. I am happy.

It's like-- I think happiness
is a very specific word.

On one hand, I'm angry

and on the other hand, I really
love and I want to be here.

Each one of you is going to
take one of these and it's
called kibbeh,

it's like a traditional
or like a main dish.

People ask me, "Okay, why don't
you just go somewhere else?

Denmark is not the worst place
to be."

And I'm like, "My criticism
comes out of love.

I want to have a future in this
place.

I know it's not utopia anywhere
else, not in Denmark even,

but we can try.

It's possible to have a good
life here

and I want that good life

and I'm going to fight for it.

[hopeful music crescendos]

**