The Danish government is paying sickness and disability benefits to Danish citizens fighting in Syria for Islamic State. The PET (Danish Security and Intelligence Service) has identified 28 jihadis, Danish citizens fighting in Syria since 2014, who had been granted an early pension, or ‘førtidspension’, because they were judged too sick or disabled to work, and then gone to take part in the war in Syria.
It is a huge scandal that danish people disburse money from the welfare fund in Denmark for people who go to Syria, staying in a war zone and directly or indirectly taking part in military operations is not something that is in any way compatible with receiving disability benefits. PET provided the information as part of preparations for a parliamentary bill which aims to make it easier to cut off benefits to Danes fighting in Syria.
Last December the Ekstra Bladet newspaper reported that Danish municipalities and the country's state unemployment fund were attempting to claim back a total of 672,000 kroner ($100,000) in wrongfully disbursed payments from 29 of the 36 Danes PET then estimated were had been collecting benefits.
We know, since 2015, that ISIS fighters in Syria have been receiving also unemployment benefits from Denmark, according to the agency for Labour Market and Recruitment (STAR) via PET. Government data revealed that 32 Danish citizens have collected about 400,000 kroner ($57,000) in welfare from the government while fighting alongside the jihadist group in Syria.
Denmark’s unemployment insurance systems is one of the world’s most generous, as those on the dagpenge scheme can receive up to 801 kroner, around £78, per day for up to two years.
Denmark, congratulation! If you often refuse to financing EU CSDP missions/operations, please do not support our common enemies. After the scandal concerning the uneployment benefits, two additional years to unveil the abuse about disability benefits.