The US Embassy is demanding that the Stockholm City Planning Office sign a contract committing to immediately stop engaging in left-liberal activism in the form of DEI initiatives on “diversity, inclusion and equality”.
– It’s completely bizarre, says City Planning Councilor Jan Valeskog (S).
Speaking on Swedish state radio SR, he insists that “values such as diversity and gender equality are very important to the City of Stockholm” and that there are no plans to deviate from this line.
The embassy notes that under the Trump administration, a new policy has been introduced whereby all parties from whom the US government purchases goods or services must sign the contract in question, and that the Stockholm City Planning Office has ten days to do so.
– We are absolutely not going to do that, it is contrary to everything we stand for. They should withdraw these absurdities, continues a visibly upset Valeskog in the Bonnier newspaper Dagens Nyheter.
He argues that it is the embassy that is dependent on the city of Stockholm – not the other way around, and that the Americans themselves will suffer the most if the contract is terminated.
“Their headache”
– If the US terminates its relationship with the city planning office, the embassy will have a hard time getting building permits if they want to rebuild, for example. That’s their headache, not ours.
It’s not just the City of Stockholm that has been sent these contracts and accompanying requirements The policy has been introduced on a global scale – and those who don’t sign up risk losing their contracts.
At the same time, there has also been some confusion about what the Americans are really after.
Just over a month ago, the US embassy in Sweden stated that the requirements only applied to companies “controlled by a US employer and employing US citizens”.
What is DEI?
DEI stands for "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion". It is an umbrella term for various initiatives and initiatives aimed at quotas or otherwise favoring different minorities in, for example, working life and education.
Critics, however, argue that DEI is based on a left-wing ideological worldview rather than on proven methodology. There are also concerns that focusing on sexual orientation, gender, ethnicity or religion rather than skills risks undermining the meritocracy and that DEI initiatives are used to discriminate against white people.
Several studies also indicate that DEI training programs have almost no or even counterproductive effects. As these programs have become more widespread, the backlash has grown, particularly in the United States, where some universities have begun to phase them out.
