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Man disciplined for comparing baby to Saddam Hussein

Published: 28 Jan 12 09:56 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/38774/20120128/

A worker at the Swedish Migration Board (Migrationsverket) who told a family of Iraqi asylum seekers that their newborn baby looked like Saddam Hussein will not lose his job over the incident, the agency's disciplinary committee has ruled.

The man, who has worked at the agency for more than 30 years, was under investigation not only for the insulting comparison, but also for physically assaulting a female colleague and making derogatory remarks about a woman wearing a headscarf.

After a colleague of his assisted a veil-wearing woman, the man went up and asked his co-worker, "How does it feel to talk to 'one of those'?"

When his shocked colleague reported his remarks to the disciplinary committee, he responded by deliberately pushing her twice, to onlooking co-workers' surprise.

The comparison of the baby to the former Iraqi dictator came during an interview conducted last year between the employee and an asylum seeking couple fromIraq who brought their newborn infant along to the meeting.

“Who do you think he looks like?” one of the proud parents asked the Migration Board employee.

“Saddam Hussein,” the man replied.

According to the man himself, this comment was intended as a joke.

However, the report filed showed that the man's supervisor has had numerous conversations with him since 2007 about his behaviour toward colleagues and asylum seekers.

The Migration Board's disciplinary committee has now ruled that the man is to keep his job, despite these incidents.

However, he is to be transferred to another department, and punished with a loss of wages.

Clara Guibourg (news@thelocal.se/08 656 6518)

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11:01 January 28, 2012 by SimonDMontfort
Maybe its just me, but I don't think this issue requires a further story - following on from the original story which drew nearly 70 comments.

The only people that need to know this guy was disciplined are those who either complained/were offended by him - surely?
11:14 January 28, 2012 by occassional
This guy deserves some time off for actually being harassed. How so?

Well. Like this...

Our fellow was faced with an idiotic and provocative question like 'Who do you think he looks like?'. I mean, what is the scope of the answer? Clearly the little sod could not be compared to Gerard Depardieu or Benny from ABBA or one of the parents over the other (with people from that part of the world being somewhat edgy over matters of paternity, adultery and the like.)

What does that leave our hero with then? Silence or a dry 'I do not know' might cause offence to yet more edginess over dented honour, esteem, etc. Plus it could have planted the seed of doubt over paternity and caused more harm than good in the long run. So, he went for the name of someone famous. And therein lies the problem.

Now, honestly, how many (in)famous Iraqis can any of you who read this, name? Saddam and Chemical Ali spring to mind. Only! Too bad both of them cause offence too.

Conclusion: employee when faced with a tendentious question could not caused any less offence by having answered otherwise in view of cultural sensitivities. A case could be made he was in fact harassed and thus needs counselling. Time off to that effect approved.

Talk about flawless logic.
11:52 January 28, 2012 by zooeden
Every dog has its bone and life´s like a box of chocolates!!!
16:55 January 28, 2012 by strixy
In a normal country he would have been sacked.
16:57 January 28, 2012 by Querist
.

Some people are so thin skinned...

Now if he had compared the newborn to 'Uday' ... well - that's a different story altogether!

.
17:09 January 28, 2012 by bells on the knight
if you've ever been to the migration board you'd seen that 90% are.....immigrants but nooo you certainly can't dismiss them for being racist can you like would have been the case else
17:22 January 28, 2012 by Dave N
"In a normal country he would have been sacked."

Sadly that is very nearly the truth. Insanity has become normal in Politically Correct Europe.
17:26 January 28, 2012 by skylarkpilot
Personally I think the people were lucky. Migrationverket are probably the slowest supposedly professional organisation I've ever had the misfortune to deal with. I would happily be told I looked like Saddam if it meant they'd get the hell on with my paperwork ! In fact to hell with it...they are all clowns, sack the lot !
21:22 January 28, 2012 by engagebrain
Did the baby actually resemble Saddam Hussein ?
02:40 January 29, 2012 by Jannik
I applaud this man for having an excellent sense of humour.
06:58 January 29, 2012 by Grokh
so the baby did look like saddan LOL
13:30 January 29, 2012 by hughknows
I'm still reeling that someone in this man's position wasn't 'Slammed'. It seems most people one reads about in The Local, who live here in Sweden and do something a bit wrong, are 'slammed'. Maybe if he had been criticised, punished, AND lost his job that would count as slammed.
15:25 January 29, 2012 by Chickybee
What's wrong with Muslim immigrants going to more accommodating Muslim countries where they won't have integration issues?

Oh, they're aren't any peaceful Muslim countries - how remiss of me!
16:20 January 29, 2012 by Puffin
I guess most of the posters above missed the fact that he assaulted a co-worker!!
07:47 January 30, 2012 by johan rebel
I'm surprised he wasn't fired, because in Sweden possessing a sense of humor almost brands you a criminal by definition.

Has anybody ever heard of a genuinely funny Swedish stand-up comedian?
01:10 January 31, 2012 by mcarroll1
He insulted these people, assaulted a colleague and physically assaulted a woman just because she was, a. a woman (like to see him try it on with her husband present and b. because he is racist. The guy should be brought up on charges, loose his job and get a good hiding into the bargain for being a bully. Bully the bully is my antidote. Not very Swedish I know.
08:42 February 2, 2012 by Trenatos
As a Swede I find this insane. How can they let this man keep his job?

Insulting the people you're supposed to be helping, retaliating against co-workers, and still they let him keep his job?

Migrationsverket, your conduct in response to these incidents is bullshit.

The man should have been fired, the fact that he's been working there for 30 years should NOT give anyone cart blanche to do whatever they please.
16:06 February 2, 2012 by Anthraxious
"Offended" - what a useless word. How can we have laws that help people who are "offended"? What is an offence? So many people go apesh*t over how "cute" babies are and constantly say retarded comments like "He looks like you!" Yeah, as if that already shows. But when the baby looks like someone else it's suddenly a crime to say it. What's so bad about expressing an observation? If someone told me my son looked like Hitler I would either 1. Say he's full of sh*t and needs his eyes checked, or 2. Wow, you're right!

In either case, I wouldn't start crying like a baby cause someone said something I might not like. Grow up.

Only REAL reason we have stuff like "offence" is cause americunts invented it to be able to get paid whenever someone called them an idiot when they were acting like an idiot.
17:14 February 7, 2012 by klubbnika
OMG! The immigration officer guy who said that is soooooo stupid. Or did he think he was being funny?
07:11 February 9, 2012 by Marc the Texan
Outrageous. So if a joke happens to be politically incorrect, you can lose your wages. The only way to stop this political correctness run amok is to sue for damages and your human right to humor.
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