Denouncements and accusations have been flying from all directions since a few students held a fake “slave auction” at a sittning last month. The incident has become not just a concern among Lund University, but an international case for Sweden.
The four students that carried out the “auction” have been reported to the police and the university discipline committee. Several new diversity programs have been created on the spot.
Jesse Jackson, one of America’s most famous civil rights activists, protested the incident to the Swedish minister of education.
Even Sweden’s entertainment industry has joined in the outcry, with rapper Petter calling for a boycott of the nation where the incident took place.
A “slave auction” at a sittning
It all started with a jungle-themed sittning at Hallands Nation on April 16. In a press release, nation curator Elinor Lavesson said they had not anticipated that the theme “could be interpreted so poorly.”
Three students painted themselves with blackface, strung nooses around their necks and acted out an auction where they were sold by a “slave trader,” according to other people at the party.
Started with an internet posting
They sittning group continued on to Helsingkrona Nation, where American student Cate Bridenstine talked to guards to try to bring the charade to a halt.
“I am horrified that these students found this costuming appropriate and saddened that both Hallands and Helsingkrona were apathetic in the face of their extreme prejudice,” Bridenstine said.
Like so many rapidly-spread news stories these days, the incident’s viral fame started with an internet posting. Bridenstine wrtoe about the episode on her Facebook page the following day.
Her note was passed forward from person to person, eventually reaching Jallow Momodou, Malmö spokesperson for the National Association of Afro-Swedes.
Legal action is taken
Momodou reported the offending students to the police for slander and agitation against an ethnic group. Cecilia Kjaersgaard, Chief Inspector of Lund Police, said Thursday that their investigation had just started.
They do not yet know the identities of the students who dressed up.
“We haven’t had the time to look for that information yet,” she said.
Police are now interviewing anyone who might know what happened at the party. Contrary to what was previously reported, it is not Hallands or Helsingkrona nations who are being charged or investigated, but the individuals who carried out the “auction”.
Requires quick investigation
Agitation against an ethnic group is a law that requires an especially quick investigation by police, said Jörgen Nilsson, head of the community police in Lund.
“I’m hoping that these individuals will be punished accordingly, based on the crimes they’ve committed,” Momodou said. “If you don’t have consequences, this is going to happen again.”
An international incident
A slew of protests, denouncements and newly created diversity programs blossomed in the weeks following the incident. Swedish rapper Petter, Lund University Vice-Chancellor Per Eriksson and the European Network Against Racism are just a few of those who condemned the students’ actions.
“I don’t think the students who dressed up had evil, racist intentions,” Eriksson said. “But what happened shows that there is a large ignorance of racism and what can be offensive.”
Jackson writes to Sweden’s minister of education
Two weeks after the sittning, civil rights activist Jesse Jackson wrote a letter to Swedish Minister of Education Jan Björklund, demanding that those involved be held accountable.
“I appeal to you to take more active measures in educating some of your citizens about this history (of slavery) and the role that Sweden has played in it, but also to assist in a thorough investigation of this immoral and despicable act,” Jackson wrote.
The controversy continues
The National Association of Afro-Swedes held a protest in Stortorget Thursday, demanding the students’ immediate suspension as a clear example to others. Momodou expressed frustration that Swedish politicians were turning a blind eye to the controversy.
“I’m very disappointed that the politicians have not taken this seriously,” he said. “I think a lot of people, they just want to minimize the problem.”
He said the issue at hand is not just the “slave auction,” but the general attitude in Sweden. Many people think this has been blown out of proportion, he said, but those are mostly people who have not been affected by racist attitudes.
“Far larger than just what happend at Hallands”
Recently a group of four Lund University students requested that the slave-costumed students be either suspended or given a warning for their actions.
“I had no idea that (the reaction) would get to this level,” Bridenstine said.
Still, it is a topic that needs to be discussed, she said. And the uproar is really not about a bad joke made by a few students.
“It’s far larger than just what happened at Hallands and Helsingkrona,” she said.
