No go zones

No reason to be scared. I’m in various European countries about 10-12 weeks a year and have never encountered a « no go zone. » Some suburban neighborhoods with public housing can be sketchy as in any densely populated area, but I doubt you’d go there. Only one TV channel uses that term. Keeping people hyped and insecure has been proven to boost advertising revenue. So forget about it and enjoy your trip.

There's no such thing as a 'no go zone' - where did you get that? If there are any refugee issues in Scandinavia that affect tourists in any way, shape, or form, I certainly am not aware of it.

We were in Stockholm in 2016; did not feel unsafe or threat; but I come from a city that has a reputation for gun violence and high crime. What is it something you read or saw on TV?

"No go zone" was a term I heard and read often after the Paris terrorist attack. It was (is) Muslem neighborhoods where even the French police will not enter.

That apparently was a term floated around about certain areas of Paris in 2016 after attacks, but there were never any official no-go zones. And it was nothing to do with Scandinavia.

https://www.snopes.com/sweden-crime-no-go-zone-police/

Seems to be a myth that tabloids use to sell newspapers and not a real thing at all. Of course there are areas where there is higher crime than average but just use the same judgement you've used in your previous 30 years of travel in Europe and you'll be fine.

DJ

My most recent visit was in 2014. I'd have no qualms about traveling around Scandinavia.

This article in English describes the crime issue and the origin of the term which was coined by a "journalist".
https://www.thelocal.se/20170621/no-go-zones-what-you-need-to-know-about-swedens-vulnerable-aeas

Regardless, as a tourist, you are highly unlikely to be in these communities. Even though you may see "Stockholm" on the vulnerable list, they are referring to specific locations in the outer suburbs of Stockholm county, not locations in the city. For example, you will have no reason to visit Rinkeby or Husby.

@"no go zones " was an inflammatory term coined by American journalists after the Paris attack , reality was there WAS NO "no go zone" .

We just got back from Finland on November 10th. We were in Helsinki and Hamina. I am actually laughing at the idea of a no-go zone in Finland. We spent a week in Copenhagen (Denmark) and Malmo (Sweden) in August and saw no such things. Of course, this is just my experience and maybe I just missed the danger zones, which would make sense because I am not inclined to seek out high crime areas. I might have missed them in Finland being that hubby was there on business and it was November and we were inside a lot but we wandered all over Copenhagen and Malmo and felt quite safe.

There are no such thing as no-go zones. There are public housing areas with higher crime rates and other problems than other areas, but these are usually located in the outer suburbs where tourist are highly unlikely to wander into.
The refugee issue is a political issue, not something that's going to affect tourists.
If you are concerned about your safety when travelling to Scandinavia, some of the safest countries in the world, my advice is to stop watching Fox News.

I am also concerned about the refugee issue as I have worked in the refugee field for 25 years. If you let me know where you live, I'd be happy to put you in touch with refugee resettlement offices in your town. I'm sure the resettled refugees and resettlement agency staff would love to channel your concern into something meaningful.

In another post the OP claims to have been travelling all over Europe for more than 30 years, so it is strange to be concerned about Scandinavia, of all destinations.

@"no go zones " was an inflammatory term coined by American journalists after the Paris attack , reality was there WAS NO "no go zone"

Well I do not believe that it was something coined by respectable news organizations, or even in relation to the Paris attacks. The term has been around for years and grew up in the language of Far Right groups in the US and abroad. It is part propaganda, part conspiracy theory that European Governments have been weak against the "vast hordes" of "Muslims" that "Liberal Immigration" policies have allowed, to the point that "vast areas" of major European cities are now "No Go Zones" where Police do not go and city leaders "Look the other way" as "Radical Muslims" practice "Sharia Law", apparently even executing people in the street.

Reports place these "No Go Zones" in Paris, Brussels, London, Stockholm, Berlin, Cologne, any locale that has a report of some altercation that can be construed as related to anyone "Middle Eastern or African"

"No Go Zones" has become a Far Right code word and is perpetuated with every remotely related news report, by certain Chief's of State that re-Tweet videos from Far Right groups, by less reputable News outlets that have more "Commentators" than News Reporters, and people that fall for this trash.

We'll explained Paul and good advice Morten. Furthermore, there are no places in all of France where police do not venture, though one TV channel was plastering fake maps on the TV. It may be a little more difficult in Corsica but that's due to locals' wary eye toward the Parisians telling them how to run their island.

I’m on shock!? This ”no go zones” makes no sense in Skandinavia. Especially in Finland you can travel 100% safe from Hanko to Utsjoki. Skandinavian countries have so high level of stability that it is impossible to have such ”no go zones”. You need to understand first that these countries represents the nordic welfare system, where social security system takes care of everyone. In same time it makes impossible to drop out from the society. Law enforcement won’t give even a inch space for illegal activities and unlike in Central Europe, in Skandinavia refugee problem was handled in organized way. You don’t need to be scared to travel in Skandinavia.

For what it is worth, this topic came up recently, due to comments by the now US Ambassador to the Netherlands that he made in 2015. At that time he was discussing "No-Go" zones in Holland, which now being interviewed by Dutch Media he failed to recall making those statements and denied making them, then later denied denying he made those statements after tape came out. Overall, a good example of the type of misinformation some groups try to spread.

For reference:

https://www.snopes.com/2017/12/22/trumps-ambassador-to-netherlands-busted-on-fake-news-claim/

Welcome niclas—first post! As a Scandinavian could you say a little more.
What exactly shocked you—that the far right has has made this up and it’s on a US TV station, or that a citizen would believe this propaganda?

Niclas - as a Scandinavian myself (Danish) I am not really shocked. I know how easily it is to get exaggerated information about places you don't know and which are far from you. There is no city in Scandinavia where I would be afraid to go (but maybe some places in the wild where I would be afraid to freeze).

On the other hand I am sure my conception of many US cities is way off - I just don't know which cities or in which direction, so if I was going to US I might ask the same question.

While this term has been sensationalized by some U.S. media, a Swedish political writer used this term in an article in the ”Svenska Dagbladet” back in October 2014. This is the article:
https://www.svd.se/55-no-go-zoner-i-sverige

The writer was sensationalizing a Swedish Police report which discussed 55 ”Utsatt område” (vulnerable areas). These ”vulnerable areas” were areas with lower socio-economic status and higher crime rates. The Police Report did NOT refer to these areas as ”no go zones”.

Radio Sweden (Sveriges Radio - basically Sweden’s public radio) did a series of stories in English where they discussed this very controversial term. I would recommend listening to them for someone wanting a more balanced view of this:
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6630452
http://sverigesradio.se/sida/artikel.aspx?programid=2054&artikel=6631052

Regardless, as I stated in my earlier post, I would not hesitate to travel anywhere in Scandinavia.