The government of Sweden has a Twitter account and every week they hand the keys over to a new citizen curator. On paper it sounds like a fantastic way to show the world the diversity of its society and to start conversations with people a government official wouldn’t appeal to. Unfortunately, this week’s ambassador has used Twitter to display a level of ignorance and anti-semitism that has shocked the international community and, in a much more difficult feat, the internet population at-large.
@Sweden/Sonja sounds like any 14 year old with a white nationalist upbringing, or an anti-semitic Seinfeld, but she’s a poor emissary for the country that claims that “[It] has succeeded in creating a balance between social equality and economic success“. See for yourself:
For its part, the government of Sweden, via Tommy Sollén, Social Media Manager at VisitSweden, has stood behind this week’s Twat stating, “It’s very important for us to let everyone take a unique viewpoint. Every one of our curators is there with a different perspective.” He points out that Sonja is the 24th operator and that they will not selectively delete posts or retroactively ban a participant, citing censorship concerns.
