Dalai Lama says ‘Europe belongs to the Europeans’ and suggests refugees return to native countries
‘Ultimately they should develop their own country,’ says spiritual leader
Your support helps us to tell the story
This election is still a dead heat, according to most polls. In a fight with such wafer-thin margins, we need reporters on the ground talking to the people Trump and Harris are courting. Your support allows us to keep sending journalists to the story.
The Independent is trusted by 27 million Americans from across the entire political spectrum every month. Unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock you out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. But quality journalism must still be paid for.
Help us keep bring these critical stories to light. Your support makes all the difference.
The Dalai Lama has sparked anger after declaring that “Europe belongs to the Europeans”.
The Tibetan Buddhist spiritual leader also said that refugees should return to their native countries and assist with developing them.
The 14th Dalai Lama was speaking at a conference in Malmo, Sweden which is home to a large immigrant population, according to the Business Times.
“Receive them, help them, educate them ... but ultimately they should develop their own country,” the 83-year-old said, when speaking about refugees.
“I think Europe belongs to the Europeans.”
He was speaking in the aftermath of a divisive election in Sweden in which a far-right party, Swedish Democrats, made electoral gains, although they were beaten by the country's centre-left coalition.
The Dalai Lama also said that Europe was “morally responsible” for helping “a refugee really facing danger against their life”.
Social media users condemned the comments, calling the Dalai Lama a “bigot of the first order” and a “hypocrite”.
The spiritual leader is followed by millions of Buddhists around the world. He is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate, but has made controversial comments about refugees in the past.
“Europe, for example Germany, cannot become an Arab country,” he said in an interview with German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung in 2016, in which he also said that there were “too many refugees” in Europe.
The Dalai Lama is a refugee himself. He led thousands of his followers from Tibet to India in 1959 after the Tibetans protested against Chinese limits on their autonomy.
The 83-tear-old continues to live in exile in northern India today.
Subscribe to Independent Premium to bookmark this article
Want to bookmark your favourite articles and stories to read or reference later? Start your Independent Premium subscription today.
Join our commenting forum
Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies
Comments