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Equality and Diversity

April 23rd, 2012

The week that was…

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Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

Equality and Diversity

April 23rd, 2012

The week that was…

0 comments

Estimated reading time: 5 minutes

The Anders Breivik trial, a new report on ‘Integration in the 21st century society’, and allegations of racism against Sweden’s culture minister are among the highlights from last week’s equality and diversity news.

Last week, the biggest story in the media was that of the Breivik trial. Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in Norway last July, admitted to his crimes but did not accept criminal responsibility for his actions. He argued that he was defending Norway from ‘multiculturalism’. He described in chilling detail how he went about killing the participants of a youth camp on the island of Utoeya.

The discourse around multiculturalism has, in recent times, been a troubled one questioning policies of integration and assimilation. In this light, the report ‘Intergration in a 21st century society’, drafted by the think tank brap, is quite an interesting one. It explores the problems associated with integration and discusses the ideas of assimilation, integration, multiculturalism, and community cohesion, among others.

Sweden’s minister of culture has been accused of racism after cutting a cake depicting a naked black woman. The cake was meant to be an art installation highlighting the issue of female genital mutilation. It provoked a furious response, with Sweden’s African-Swedish Association describing it as “a racist spectacle”.

Speaking of politicians involved in controversies, John Glen, a Tory MP, has refused to cut ties with the ‘gay cure’ charity CARE (Christian Action Research and Education). This has come as a response to campaigner Philip Dawson’s petition to MPs to dissociate themselves from CARE. John Glen currently uses CARE to hire his interns and doesn’t want to buckle down under the petition’s pressure.

Did you come across news that you think we should discuss? Let us know – Equality.and.Diversity@lse.ac.uk.

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Equality and Diversity

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