(edit title) Is Sweden as racist as some say or is it a myth? Options

[Tetti]

It may seem a slightly odd question(seeing as I am Swedish),but I moved to the UK about 14 years ago and although I have family in Sweden,I have since long lost touch with what's really going on in my native country.
As I'm in a mixed race relationship and our child's(naturally)mixed race I started to wonder if Sweden(or it citizens rather) still harbour as strong feelings of resentment to people from other cultures as they used to?
In London no one bats an eyelid at our family,but I heard from my sister(who's also in a mixed race relationship) that she sometimes does get comments(funnily enough mainly from the Turkish community) directed at her and her kids.If she gets any comments from Swedish men,it's usually"Javla blatte alskare"(for those of you who are not familiar with that phrase it's something along the lines of"You bloody "n...." lover basically,not very nice!)
Is this kind of attitude common,or is it just that she's been unlucky perhaps?
We'd previously entertained the idea of moving to Sweden,but if there's still a stigma in Sweden reg black people it's no way I'll put my child through that kind of racial abuse.
Is it as bad as some say,or are things getting better?

[*Alex-sweden*]

I'm not sure about London, but from my personal experience, there's far more racism in the UK (outside the capital) than in Sweden. Although it could be due to the fact that British people are much more open and upfront about it.

The only thing that some people describe as Xenophobic, which I have heard in Sweden, were people saying that immigration should be limited. But I've heard nothing actually racist, regarding mixed-relationships, and certainly nothing along the lines of 'Javla blatte alskare'....I've only heard people say things like that in the UK, and to be truthful, it was only quite common among the younger generations, and never among adults.

As I said though, this is outside of London.

[Shark99 - The Great Catsb...]

I don't think Sweden is as racist as some people would like to think it, and at least nobody has gotten lynched in Sweden that I know of. Swedes are very open and hospitable to foreigners, it's just when foreigners decide to stay that things get a little dicey.

[*Alex-sweden*]

Yeah, I agree with Shark, but I think that's the same with most European countries and people.

[Luke_j]

Link

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[Svealands]

Jag tycker inte att Sverige är särskilt rasistisk.

Det finns ju rasister i varje land.

[dan0701]

Excellent counterpoint, Luke.

[*Gävle Guld*]

Having grown up in London and now living in Sweden, my personal experience is that Sweden is a lot more intolerant than England is now.
I would say that Sweden is lagging behind the UK in this term by about 15 years.
Its a matter of exposure and dealing with reality, both of which Sweden has little experience.

[Asbo]

To be honest i thought Sweden, and by that i mean Stockhom was possibly the most liberal (racially) country i have been too. There is a huge mix of people and interracial couples. Its nice to see!!

Of course it is different as Swedes tend to be quiet on the subject compared to Brits but on the whole i think its ok.

Britain is a tricky one to judge. In London nobody bats an eye. But then nobody would bat an eye if a clown troop was raping an elderly, wheelchair bound, blind midget either so whats new there. You only have to go north of the Midlands and all the race riots which spanned west to east a couple of years back to know there is a huge underlying problem.

[Tim_E]

There is less open racism in Sweden than in, for example the UK, but as has been said this can be due to Swedes tendency not to talk about controversial topics.

There is certainly very little anti-immigrant rhetoric in newspapers here in Sweden. There is no equivalent to the likes of the Daily Mail and the Star- so racist rhetoric hasn't become as legitimiate as it is in the UK.

Overaall it is hard to compare, as the level of the population from non white ethnic backgrounds is much lower in Sweden. I get the impression that immigration is still quite a new thing in Sweden, whilst it's been pretty established in most other major European countries for at least the last thirty years.

[Gazzah]

I agree with 1066.
Then I've found that a lot of smaller communities have problems with racism more than the big cities and metropols.
I grew up in London and moved here aged 25.
Racism in London back then was mainly youngsters giving it large.
Over here there seems to be a latent underlying racism that only comes to the fore when enough alochol has been consumed.
A lot of my english friends I met when I first moved here used to say.
Swedes don't mind foreigners, but you won't see them befriend many.
Also, I have often heard Swedes slagging of foreigners and excuse my presence with "Yeah, but you're English, that don't count"!!
What an odd reasoning.

[Craptastical]

I don't think Sweden is as racist as some people would like to think it, and at least nobody has gotten lynched in Sweden that I know of. Swedes are very open and hospitable to foreigners, it's just when foreigners decide to stay that things get a little dicey.

I have to agree with you on this, but not for all immigrants, only those who wouldn't pass as being Swedish.

This is anecdotal, but when I was a student there in 1990-1991 I noticed that there was a lot of hostility toward immigrants from Africa and the Middle East. I did ask what they thought of black Americans, I was told "oh, well they're cool!". When I asked what they would think of a black American immigrant I was told "oh, that's different. They wouldn't fit in."

During various return trips to Sweden since that time I've been told that they don't have problems with people who are of a different race, it's just the immigrants which bother some people. When I mentioned that it was likely that I would be an immigrant the first thing I usually hear is "han passar" or something like that.

While I don't think this is wide-spread, I do think that exists enough to cause problems.

[bluto]

We will find racism everywhere we go , It is difficult make a statistic what contry or people are more racist, I think that where there are poor immigrants with all thiers problems there is racism , people dont want have problem, and they see them like a problem, I can understand that people is racist sometimes, I am from italy and when i was in other contry i have always feel people watch me in a diferent way , but the problem was mine , I must be able to say I dont give a shit about what people think about me , I am not doing nothing bad so , f.. off. There are always intelligent people everywhere, you have just to fnd them , intellgent people is always rare to find, in your contry like in other contry, maybe when you are in another contry you can really see better who is intelligent, can be positive so. I can just think if one nation is racist by his rules and law, and i dnt think sweden have bad law for immigrants.

[*Alex-sweden*]

I agree with 1066.
Then I've found that a lot of smaller communities have problems with racism more than the big cities and metropols.
I grew up in London and moved here aged 25.
Racism in London back then was mainly youngsters giving it large.
Over here there seems to be a latent underlying racism that only comes to the fore when enough alochol has been consumed.
A lot of my english friends I met when I first moved here used to say.
Swedes don't mind foreigners, but you won't see them befriend many.
Also, I have often heard Swedes slagging of foreigners and excuse my presence with "Yeah, but you're English, that don't count"!!
What an odd reasoning.

Swedes are as racist as anyone else in Europe, it's just they like a lot of things, like to appear extremely liberal, and they want to be seen to be doin the 'right thing'.
...When they drink though, they're as rascist as the English, the Danish and anyone else.
And I, like Gazzah, have heard that many times 'Yeah, but you're English, that don't count"...
Swedes aren't racist to Western Europeans, Americans, Australians etc...
But the same's true in England, where I doubt a Swedes would encounter any racism directed towards him.

[*Ross Mcpharter*]

I'm not sure about London, but from my personal experience, there's far more racism in the UK (outside the capital) than in Sweden. Although it could be due to the fact that British people are much more open and upfront about it.

The only thing that some people describe as Xenophobic, which I have heard in Sweden, were people saying that immigration should be limited. But I've heard nothing actually racist, regarding mixed-relationships, and certainly nothing along the lines of 'Javla blatte alskare'....I've only heard people say things like that in the UK, and to be truthful, it was only quite common among the younger generations, and never among adults.

As I said though, this is outside of London.

I disagree with this comment, I also believe that the immigrant population (whatever colour) is much more active within employment in the UK - I believe Sweden is more discrimatory towards immigrants in the job market.