Stockholm cafe's kid ban has parents frothing
Published: 4 Mar 13 18:03 CET | Print version
Online: http://www.thelocal.se/46540/20130304/
A Stockholm coffee shop has banned children from its premises and sparked an uproar among the capital's caffeine-loving parents.
- Discrimination law fells only two in 20 years (12 Feb 13)
- 'Why I fled the Stockholm toddler ghetto for Berlin' (21 Jan 13)
- Preschool abandons 3-year-old in woods (16 Nov 12)
"A colleague of mine even burned his hand with hot coffee when he tried to duck away from a running child."
Fed up with out-of-control toddlers running wild in his café, management at Nelly's put up a sign last week warning parents their youngsters weren't welcome.
"For everyone's enjoyment, children are prohibited in this establishment," the sign read.
His would-be customers have not taken the ban lightly, although his café is not the first to ban pram-wielding parents who buy one beverage, sip away for hours and let their children run amok.
ALSO READ THE OP-ED: "Why I left the Swedish toddler ghetto for Berlin"
A bakery in the southern suburb of Årsta did the same last year, also annoying parents who felt their rights had been infringed upon.
Shamon, meanwhile, has asked to come in for a meeting with Sweden's Discrimination Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen, DO).
Per Holfve, lawyer at the state-run agency, said the ban on children under the age of seven could constitute discrimination, especially since the government made the laws against age discrimination tougher on January 1st, 2013.
"It's not sufficient justification to say that the children disturb the customers," Holfve told Vårt Kungsholmen.
"If they're behaving abominably, the staff should tell the parents."
Nelly's will not, however, let the issue lie.
"We need a debate about this issue, and we are not going to change our minds," said Shamon.
The Local/at
Follow The Local on Twitter
What do you think? Leave your comment below.
Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates
As white-collar union Saco slammed Sweden for not helping well-educated foreigners into the labour market, The Local spoke to researcher Josefin Edström about the disconnect between foreign professionals and Swedish employers. READ () »
US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden
The UK Foreign Office has issued a travel warning for Sweden after arsonists tore through several Stockholm suburbs, while Americans have been warned to stay out of the affected areas by their embassy. READ () »
Swedish fashion grads turn to melancholy
This year's Beckmans fashion graduates unleashed a dramatic clash of collections in Stockholm this week. It may have been dazzlingly hot outside in the sunshine, but on the catwalk things got a little dark. READ () »
Quiz: 'A Swedish city with a pulse'
For this week's secret location picture gallery quiz, we head to a city that's among the top 20 in terms of population size. Can you guess which one it is in nine clues? READ () »
Princess Madeleine 'not nervous' about wedding
Sweden's Princess Madeleine is "less nervous than she thought" about her impending walk down the aisle at Stockholm's Storkyrkan church to wed US financier Chris O'Neill. READ () »
'Tired' Swedes have less sex than ever: study
Swedes are having less sex than ever before, a new survey has revealed, and their libidos appear to have waned too, prompting researchers to warn that "desire disorders" may be keeping Swedes from getting intimate. READ () »
Man held for murder after new body parts find
A man has been arrested on the suspicion of murdering a 20-year-old woman who vanished three weeks ago in northern Sweden, and whose body parts were uncovered on Monday. READ () »
Schools burn on fifth night of Stockholm riots
At least two schools, a police station, and 15 cars were set ablaze in Stockholm on Thursday night as riots in the suburbs of the Swedish capital continued for the fifth straight night. READ () »
- 24/05 US and UK issue travel warnings for Sweden »
- 24/05 Man held for murder after new body parts find »
- 24/05 Schools burn on fifth night of Stockholm riots »
- 24/05 Swedish firms 'clueless' about foreign graduates »
- 23/05 Stockholm riots spread south on fourth night »
- 22/05 Stockholm man lay dead in flat for two years »
- 22/05 Swedish 'serial killer' cleared of two murders »
- 22/05 Thirty fires in third night of Stockholm riots »
- 21/05 Seven arrested over Stockholm's Husby riots »
- 21/05 Body parts found in missing woman search »
More news from Germany at thelocal.de
- 24/05 Call for probe into sale of Printemps to Qataris »
- 24/05 France scraps plan to limit fat cat salaries »
More news from France at thelocal.fr
More news from Norway at thelocal.no
- 24/05 Appenzell Innerhoden enjoys 'pure democracy' »
- 24/05 University professor faces false CV charges »
More news from Switzerland at thelocal.ch
In cooperation with DoToday
Register now for:
> Free use of noticeboard
> Special discounts
> Weekly news roundup
> Unlimited use of discuss
- Corporate Sports Sales Executives
- INTERNATIONAL SALES EXECUTIVE
- Online Functional Designer
- Regional Sales Manager - Nordic EMEA (Mobility)
- Accounts Payable to Bosch Rexroth
- Test Coordinator
- Analog Field Application Engineer
- Senior Platform Specialist to Rovio Stockholm
- Technical Product Manager Poker
- Trainee in Umeå
" I have recently become addicted to a website called Stockholms Källan. The site is an amazing treasure trove of historical images of Stockholm. You can search by names or locations to find old photos and documents relating to whatever you’re interested in. This image is from a 1960’s short film called “Ditt Stockholm” (“Your Stockholm”). It..." READ »
- 23/5 09:23 REFLECTIONS OF A TWITTER VIRGIN…. (The Diplomatic Dispatch)
- 21/5 21:34 WEEK 21 (Stripes News)
- 20/5 15:25 Hockey. Hockey. Hockey. (Boston Blatte)
- Corporate Sports Sales Executives
- INTERNATIONAL SALES EXECUTIVE
- Online Functional Designer
- Regional Sales Manager - Nordic EMEA (Mobility)
- Accounts Payable to Bosch Rexroth
- Test Coordinator
- Analog Field Application Engineer
- Senior Platform Specialist to Rovio Stockholm
- Technical Product Manager Poker
- Trainee in Umeå
- 14:41 Husby Riots and violence against the police...
- 14:35 Questions regarding partner visa
- 12:33 Is it save to keep money at forexbank?
- 04:24 Gym memberships without a personnummer?
- 00:35 Restaurant Inspection Scores
- 00:32 Moving to Sweden (Questions) HELP
- 00:13 Moving to Sweden from England
- 23:58 Living costs in London
- 21:05 Astra 2F (SKY TV)
- 20:20 Adobo- Filipino Recipe
Individuals & Couples - Stockholm Beth Rogerson PhD - Clinical, Marriage & Family Therapist
Click or call 08-5580 1266 now
Create an account with Banc De Binary, the world’s most reputable binary options firm, and start cashing in today! You can start by practicing with our free $50,000 demo account.
www.bbinary.com
Expat counsellor & talk therapist offers counselling for stress, relationship issues, sexuality, culture adjustment & life coaching. Private & confidential. Stockholm or Skype. Contact me today! 08-559 22 636 or
CLICK HERE
Casa Birgitta in Algarve, Portugal. Reduced price in best location. Private estate on white sand beach. All amenities included. Book here today! edward_george1@hotmail.com
Find products and services that are specifically focused on English speakers living in Sweden!
FULL DETAILS
Your comments about this article:
The comments below have not been moderated in advance and are not produced by The Local unless clearly stated. Readers are responsible for the content of their own comments. Comments that breach our terms and conditions will be removed.
Just my personal feelings on the matter.
Also, @Enjoyourlife - I would love to have child rearing lessons from you, as my normally happy toddler does sometimes get upset. How do you 'handle' your kids so they NEVER disturb others. Really, children have to be allowed to express themselves, especially when they are unable to use words to communicate. What you are basically suggesting is that parents should not go out with their children until their children are at least 5 years old. Humm, cause for depression maybe!
A suggestion for the cafe - Specific times as child free.
It is not unreasonable that adults should be able to find occasional adult space - peace and quiet.
The suggestion is not that children should be banned from all public space but that the occasional cafe be available for adults. This slightly reduces the options for parents out with children but gives adults more options.
As an aside, I'd like to see the Stadsbibliotek on Odengatan/Sveavagen ban college students from using the children's library as a work place. They take all the table space and yap loudly in a place designed for young children.
I think it is!
There are plenty of places(including Mc D) where screaming,crapping,out of control "rug rats"are more than welcome,the mascot is a clown ,afterall!
It's just note cute for some cute but unrelated,drippy nose critter to stick his hands in my plate while mom sits by with a crappy grin on her face!
Make no mistake about it,I love all the rights that parents have here to actually have an active roll in raising their children,they tend to turn out better off for it,I just want no part of it personally,thank you!
And I applaud the Idea but also think there are other ways to go about achieving ones goal... banning may be extreme for some so how about strapping them
down? Also the owners need to stand up for their place if the customer's are not cooperating throw them out that is your right!
The Malaysian AirAsiaX airline has a similar policy banning children and their parents from certain rows on their aircraft.
Sweden's unhealthy obsession with anti-discrimination is to a detriment of business owners. Will the parents of wild brats be willing to cover the cafe's loss from walking out customers? Why should the cafe owner pay for people's incompetence with bringing up their brood? Hardly fair.