Stockholm rejects 'bizarre' US letter urging city to scrap diversity initiatives
Source: The Guardian
Stockholm rejects ‘bizarre’ US letter urging city to scrap diversity initiatives
City official says it will not comply with request seeking to impose Donald Trump’s rollback of diversity measures
Ashifa Kassam European community affairs correspondent
Thu 8 May 2025 19.49 BST
Last modified on Thu 8 May 2025 20.03 BST
A city official in Stockholm has said the municipality has no plans to comply after one of its offices received a letter seeking to impose Donald Trump’s rollback of diversity measures, in what is believed to be the first such missive sent to a foreign government.
“It’s so bizarre,” said Jan Valeskog, Stockholm’s vice-mayor for planning. “It’s our political priorities that count, not the ones from this embassy or any other embassies.”
In March, European officials lambasted the US after companies across the continent said they had received letters informing them that the Trump administration’s crackdown on diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives also applied to foreign firms looking to do business with the US government.
The letter – described by French officials as “a form of interference” – asked recipients to complete, sign and return a form certifying that they “do not operate any programmes to promote diversity, equity and inclusion”.
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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/world/2025/may/08/stockholm-rejects-us-letter-urging-city-to-reverse-diversity-initiatives
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