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Cake day: June 27th, 2023
  • HonoraryMancunian@lemmy.worldtopolitics @lemmy.world•'We will never sign!' Trump stuns as he issues 'bizarre' demand to Swedish cityEnglish
    101·
    2 days ago

    The United States is requiring businesses and government offices in Stockholm, Sweden, to comply with the Trump administration’s anti-DEI policies, according to Swedish news outlet Dagens Nyheter.

    “Stockholm’s urban planning office must not work for diversity, equity, and inclusion,” according to the outlet’s English translation. “The U.S. embassy demands this in a letter with a contract that they expect the city to sign.”

    Stockholm’s urban planning councilor Jan Valeskog called the requirement “completely bizarre,” adding, “We will never sign this contract.”

    In addition, the U.S. Embassy is requiring Swedish suppliers “to certify that they do not apply certain inclusion programs,” the outlet reported.

    The X account @ChrisO_wiki translated more of the report in a post, saying the Swedish government was given 10 days to comply.

    “Since February 2025, US embassies around the world have been sending letters to local contractors making similar demands,” the post said. “This seems to be the first time that it’s been reported that a similar letter has been sent to a foreign government organisation.”

    Valeskog is quoted as saying, “If the U.S. terminates its relationship with the city planning office, the embassy will have difficulty obtaining a building permit if they want to rebuild, for example. That’s their headache, not ours.”

    The X account continued, “The Swedish government says that it would violate Swedish law to comply with such a demand. Commenting on similar letters sent to Swedish businesses, Minister for Gender Equality and Working Life Nina Larsson says: ‘According to the Discrimination Act, Swedish companies are obliged to work preventively and actively to counteract discrimination and promote equal rights – for example based on gender, ethnicity or disability. Otherwise, there may be penalties. Companies should feel secure in the fact that Swedish law is firm. It is also important that we – both politically and from the industries – are clear about this towards foreign clients.’”