
Cultural Factors Drive 'Disproportionate' Crime Among Migrant Groups: Renowned Swiss Psychiatrist
Following the release of his new book, The Dark Sides of Migration, Swiss forensic psychiatrist Frank Urbaniok has called for European asylum policy to finally take migrant crime statistics into account, claiming that certain migrant groups are 'disproportionately criminal' due to cultural factors.
Urbaniok, one of Switzerland's most prominent forensic experts with over three decades of experience analyzing violent offenders, suggests that cultural influences from countries such as Afghanistan, Morocco, and Tunisia contribute significantly to higher crime rates among migrants from these regions.
'Afghans are reported more than five times, Moroccans more than eight times, and Tunisians more than nine times more often than Swiss nationals for serious violent crimes,' Urbaniok stated in an interview with Swiss newspaper Neue Zürcher Zeitung, citing his analysis of crime data from Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
'The disproportionate crime rate has a lot to do with cultural influences. It is about how violence is dealt with, the image of women, or the role of the rule of law in these countries. I have been dealing with criminals for 33 years and have seen thousands of cases at close range. That's why I know how strong and relevant these imprints can be. Sometimes, they persist for generations,' he said.
The cover of his book has drawn some criticism for prominently featuring a knife, which he insists is a 'good symbol' as it 'reflects the growing sense of insecurity in public spaces.'
While careful to clarify that he does not condemn all migrants — he explains why he preceded 'Migration' in his book title with 'The Dark Side of' — Urbaniok makes no secret of his belief that the cultural background of asylum seekers should influence immigration decisions. 'There are countries that are unproblematic, those that are problematic, and those that are highly problematic… and I don't understand why that doesn't play a role in the question of who we let into the country.'
Urbaniok proposes an explicit quota system that would limit asylum admissions from countries with high crime rates. In his view, the absolute right to asylum is unrealistic and harmful to public safety: 'Hundreds of millions of people would theoretically be entitled to seek asylum in Switzerland, but we could never take them all in.'
The renowned psychiatrist rejected accusations of exaggeration in his book, countering that much of the public discourse on foreigner crime amounts to 'targeted disinformation' designed to downplay uncomfortable truths. 'Many fear that citizens will not be able to deal with the facts,' he said.
In several European nations, foreign crime data is obscured by the fact that naturalized citizens in their respective countries are categorized as, for example, 'German' or 'Austrian,' even if they are foreign-born or of a historic migration background.
'Too many problematic people remain here,' Urbaniok said.
'I see them in the statistics and every day in my profession for thirty years. That's unpleasant. What is really unpleasant is the realization that these problems can still exist a generation later. That's why you can't say that we have the matter under control. On the contrary, the problems are huge.'
Click here to read more…
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Gulf Insider
4 days ago
- Gulf Insider
Trump Bans Citizens Of 12 Countries From Traveling To The US
Having previously hinted he might crack down on foreign visitors, late on Wednesday President Trump signed a proclamation banning nationals from 12 countries from traveling to the US, and introduced travel restrictions on seven others, reintroducing a controversial immigration policy that came to define the early days of his first term. The ban will completely bar travel to the U.S. by citizens of the following countries: Afghanistan, Myanmar (formerly Burma), Chad, The Republic of the Congo, Equatorial Guinea, Eritrea, Haiti, Iran, Libya, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen. Citizens from an additional list of countries will be barred from permanently immigrating to the U.S., along with applying for tourist or student visas; those countries are Burundi, Cuba, Laos, Sierra Leone, Togo, Turkmenistan, and Venezuela. Citizens from these seven countries will still be eligible for other temporary visas, such as the H-1B or other temporary work visas. The ban only applies to people currently outside the U.S., though anyone currently in the U.S. who leaves could get stuck abroad as a result of it. It also excludes any nationals of these countries who hold green cards, along with anyone traveling to the US for coming major sporting events, including the World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics in 2028. Afghans who receive special immigrant visas, a special visa reserved for Afghans who worked alongside the U.S. military during its two-decade presence in Afghanistan, are also exempt. The administration justified the restrictions in a number of ways. Several of the countries, it said, had unacceptably high temporary visa overstay rates, necessitating a ban. Others, it said, couldn't be relied upon to issue valid passports to verify a person's identity. Haiti, the only country in the Western Hemisphere to face a complete ban, was included because 'hundreds of thousands of illegal Haitian aliens flooded into the U.S. during the Biden administration,' the White House said. Click here to read more…


Gulf Insider
4 days ago
- Gulf Insider
US Refuses Air Cover For European 'Reassurance Force' In Postwar Ukraine
The British and French-led effort to establish a 'coalition of the willing' to stand up to Russia and defend Ukraine just hit another major roadblock, as Bloomberg is reporting Wednesday the US has effectively vetoed a plan to provide American air defenses to back a 'reassurance force' for postwar Ukraine. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has been insisting that US-backed air defenses are key to any future permanent settlement plans for ending the war. Western proposals for ending the war have all featured foreign-backed and monitored security guarantees for Ukraine. On this, Starmer had said back in February that 'There must be a US backstop' and that the 'US security guarantee is the only way to effectively deter Russia from attacking Ukraine again.' After Western billions already sunk into keeping Ukraine's military and civic infrastructure afloat, the UK and France are also seeking from President Trump pledges of future air power, and border surveillance and intelligence. The Europeans also envision a strong, permanent security bulwark backed by the United States along NATO's eastern flank. Yet, President Trump has repeatedly warned allies that if NATO countries don't pay their fair share they won't be protected. This despite European leaders as well as some US politicians expressing recent concern that the Atlantic alliance is becoming weaker than ever, and that Article 5 collective defense is in peril. Trump has lashed out at NATO countries for not even meeting their current two percent spending goal while the unfair burden has long fallen United States. 'We appreciate the work that the allies, particularly France and the United Kingdom together with Germany and others have undertaken to develop the coalition of the willing,' US Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker said at a press breifing Brussels on Wednesday. 'We are counting on all our European allies to continue taking the leadership position in contributing military resources and providing the political capital to make security guarantees a reality.' All of this comes as it was only on Tuesday that Dutch slapped down a proposal to increase defense spending to 3.5% of gross domestic product (GDP), key to NATO's capability targets, in a non-binding motion. Click here to read more…


Gulf Insider
4 days ago
- Gulf Insider
European Industry Under Siege: China Deploys Rare Earths As Economic Weapon
As U.S. tariffs tighten the screws on China's export machine, Beijing is striking back—with strategic precision. Export restrictions on rare earths are now Beijing's latest move to break down European trade barriers and push back against escalating pressure from Washington. In today's global trade standoff, the gloves are off. The U.S. is wielding its market clout—25% of global consumption originates from the American domestic market. Anyone in the export business must deal with the United States. China, meanwhile, holds an unchallenged monopoly on rare earths—and is making it clear it will not hesitate to weaponize that dominance. The stakes are rising, and national interests now override globalist courtesies. No Friends—Only Alliances Europe is learning the hard way: in geopolitics, there are no friends, only temporary alliances. China's tightened export controls on rare earth elements risk plunging Germany's industrial sector into a severe resource crisis. With nearly 85% of global rare earth refining under its control, Beijing is the chief supplier of key metals like dysprosium, terbium, and yttrium—critical for electric motors, medical tech, and defense systems. Since April 2025, access to these raw materials has been restricted to licensed exporters only—a de facto embargo. The fallout is immediate: several German manufacturers have already been forced to scale back operations. Others face complete shutdowns. Industrial metal prices continue climbing, and the fragility of global supply chains is now exposed in brutal detail. Europe's resource dependency is becoming a major liability—and a strategic weakness in the coming trade war negotiations. Target: New Markets China's export curbs are a calculated pressure tactic in its standoff with both the U.S. and EU. Beijing is feeling the squeeze from the Trump administration's hardline trade policy. If Washington fails to shrink its massive trade deficit and restore U.S. industrial capacity, Trump's economic agenda is toast. Beijing faces its own nightmare scenario. To appease U.S. demands and cut trade surpluses, it would need to let the yuan rise—risking domestic unrest. A more affluent middle class might start demanding political influence. That's a nightmare for China's authoritarian elite. At the same time, the economic foundation of Communist Party rule is crumbling. China's domestic economy is faltering, its real estate and industrial sectors flashing recession signals. The Party's once-effective social contract—'stay out of politics and we'll deliver prosperity'—is losing credibility amid youth unemployment and economic stagnation. Click here to read more…