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During a panel discussion on the occasion of the launch of the Swedish Institute’s new strategy to improve Sweden’s image, Benjamin Dousa, Minister for International Development Cooperation and Foreign Trade, revealed they would be “totally up for inviting in 40,000 Hungarian gays” to their country, The Local reports.
The politician believes that a number of countries are moving in an authoritarian direction and raising tariffs, as a result of which they are isolating themselves, and that Sweden must respond to this phenomenon as an “open and freedom-loving country.” “We are open to people coming here regardless of whether they want to work here, start a business here, raise a family here, or invest in Sweden,” the portal cites the minister as saying.
The new strategy, put together by the Swedish Institute with the help of 300 organizations, aims to “boost the image of Sweden internationally.”
The strategy presented is the result of a “government mandate, starting in April 2024, to strengthen Sweden’s international competitiveness, build trust and increase resilience to misleading information about Sweden from abroad,”
reads the institute’s website.
The new strategy wants to “sell Sweden as a country that ‘gives room to grow,’ (…) which in turn leads to a business and social environment where people and companies can grow, leading in turn to an innovative society,” The Local writes. The politician revealed at the launch event that his country would also welcome workers, especially in the field of research and technology, from the United States, which is why the relevant body has reduced the administration for immigration to 100 days.
The image of a welcoming and inclusive country can, however, be complicated by the fact that in the Nordic countries today, many LGBTQ people experience violence in various forms, such as hate speech, threats, and harassment,
as illustrated by a recent study published by the Nordic Council of Ministers.
As an instance, at the 2024 Malmö Gay Pride Parade, three attendees were attacked for wearing Stars of David. The attackers, who were identified as migrant men, were reported to have had homophobic and anti-Semitic motives. They reportedly shouted slurs such as “You f*cking f*ggots” and questioned the victims’ support for Israel. This incident highlighted intersectional discrimination targeting both sexual orientation and religious identity.
Via The Local, Swedish Institute, eurojewcong.org; Featured image: Pixabay