Abir Al-Sahlani has become the centre of a racism row in the European Parliament after Danish MEP Kristoffer Storm told the Swedish liberal lawmaker to “go home” following a heated debate on the EU’s new return rules for migrants.
The comment came after far-right MEPs celebrated the approval of tougher deportation rules by chanting “send them back” in the plenary chamber. Al-Sahlani, a Swedish MEP for the Centre Party (Centerpartiet) and Renew Europe, had voted against the legislation and later said she had never felt so unsafe in the Parliament.
Abir Al-Sahlani’s speech turned into a Nordic racism row
The dispute began after the European Parliament approved the new Return Regulation, a major reform of EU migration policy aimed at speeding up the removal of third-country nationals who have no legal right to remain in the bloc.
After the vote, several right-wing and far-right MEPs celebrated in the chamber. The episode triggered criticism from centre-left, liberal and green lawmakers, who described the chanting as dehumanising and incompatible with the tone expected in a democratic institution.
Al-Sahlani responded in the plenary and said the atmosphere had crossed a line. She argued that the debate was no longer only about migration policy, but about the safety and dignity of elected representatives and people with a migration background.
The Swedish MEP was born in Basra, Iraq, and represents Sweden in the European Parliament. She sits with Renew Europe and serves on committees including development, civil liberties, justice and home affairs, and women’s rights and gender equality.
Kristoffer Storm’s “go home” comment drew liberal condemnation
The row escalated when Kristoffer Storm, a Danish Democrats (Danmarksdemokraterne) MEP sitting with the European Conservatives and Reformists group, reacted to Al-Sahlani’s intervention online by saying she should “go home”.
Renew Europe chair Valérie Hayer condemned the remark and said the comment was not a normal political disagreement. “The comment saying that you should ‘go home’ is not a political disagreement. It is a racist insult,” Hayer wrote in a public message of support to Al-Sahlani.
Renew Europe is now demanding action from European Parliament President Roberta Metsola. The group says the institution must respond clearly to racist language directed at elected representatives, particularly when the comment comes in the context of an already polarised debate on migration and deportations.
Al-Sahlani’s own party has also said it wants disciplinary steps to be considered. For the Swedish Centre Party, the incident shows how rhetoric around migration can quickly move from policy disagreement to personal exclusion.
The EU return vote sharpened divisions over migration
The dispute followed the Parliament’s approval of the new EU return rules on 17 June. According to the European Parliament, the text passed with 418 votes in favour, 218 against and 30 abstentions.
The regulation introduces stricter obligations for people subject to return decisions, expands the possibility of detention to prevent absconding, and allows member states to use “return hubs” in third countries under agreements with non-EU states. Supporters argue that the reform will make EU migration policy more effective and address the low number of returns actually carried out.
Critics say the new rules risk weakening fundamental rights protections and normalising a more punitive approach to migration. Human rights organisations and several left-leaning MEPs have warned that extended detention, external return hubs and pressure on third countries could create serious legal and humanitarian risks.
The vote has therefore become more than a technical migration decision. It has exposed a broader conflict inside the European Parliament over how far the EU should go in tightening deportation policy, and over the language used to describe migrants and asylum seekers.
A Nordic clash inside a European debate
The episode also has a distinctly Nordic political dimension. It involved a Swedish liberal MEP with an Iraqi background and a Danish right-wing MEP from a party that has made restrictive migration policy central to its profile.
That makes the case relevant beyond Brussels. Nordic countries often present themselves as high-trust democracies with strong parliamentary norms, but debates over migration, identity and belonging have become increasingly polarised across the region.
For Al-Sahlani and her supporters, the phrase “go home” is not a neutral insult. It echoes a form of exclusion directed at citizens and elected representatives who are treated as less legitimate because of their background. For Storm’s political camp, the broader argument remains focused on tougher migration control and national sovereignty.
The immediate question is now whether the European Parliament will open or support disciplinary action. The wider issue is whether the chamber can maintain a clear boundary between hard political disagreement and language that targets representatives on the basis of origin.
For the EU, the incident comes at a sensitive moment. The Parliament has just endorsed one of the bloc’s toughest migration reforms in years. The way it handles the Al-Sahlani racism row will show whether it can enforce its own standards while migration remains one of Europe’s most divisive political issues.
