Denmark Supreme Court reviews social housing discrimination lawsuit

The Danish Supreme Court is reviewing a case brought by seven families in Helsingør against their former social housing landlord, Boliggården. The plaintiffs allege that their leases were terminated illegally as part of a discriminatory effort to change the social composition of their neighborhood.

The dispute stems from a 2018 law requiring social housing complexes where more than half of the residents are of non-Western origin to be renovated or rebuilt by 2030 to alter their demographic makeup. The Danish government justifies this policy as a means to combat segregation and prevent the formation of parallel societies in high-crime areas.

In 2020, Boliggården announced deep renovations for 96 units, resulting in the termination of leases for residents who were predominantly of foreign origin. While the landlord sought to prevent the area from being classified as a hard ghetto, the plaintiffs argue that the targeting of non-Western residents is discriminatory. Lower courts have previously ruled in favor of the landlord, but the Supreme Court's decision could set a significant legal precedent regarding ethnic discrimination and housing policy.