This past weekend The Statement music festival took place in Gothenburg, Sweden for the first time. Only “women, non-binary and transgender persons” were permitted to attend.
“The whole area is free of cis-men,” said Emma Knyckare, a Swedish comedian who thought of the idea of a man-free festival.
According to the event organizers, the purpose of the event was to protest sexual harassment that has occurred at Swedish music festivals. A particular Swedish music festival that has received press is Bråvalla, which announced cancellation of its 2018 festival due to sexual harassment in 2017.
However, based on my observations of sexual harassment and feminism in Sweden, I am not quick to believe this event is solely about protesting sexual harassment. I view this event as denial of acknowledging who is behind the increase in sexual harassment in Sweden, and ultimately another example of the growing disdain Swedish women have for men.
It is disappointing to observe Swedish women bag all “cis-men” together as being sexual predators without analyzing who is behind the increase in sexual harassment. An article published in 2016 noted that Swedish police had covered up reports of sexual harassment committed by immigrant men at Swedish music festivals in 2014 and 2015. A spokesperson for Swedish police noted police are fearful of sharing the background of criminals, saying, “There are police employees that are afraid of talking about these things in the context of the immigration debate today.”
National Swedish TV itself confirmed that the majority of men convicted or rape and sexual assault are foreign-born.
So who should Swedish women be fearful of? The entire male population in Sweden? It makes more sense to protest the Swedish police not doing their job.
Perhaps this denial has much to do with a good number of Swedish women ignoring their own political mistakes. It’s no secret that Swedish feminist groups supported mass migration in Sweden, and welcomed refugee men wholeheartedly. They were warned about the threat these men pose, but they doubled down their support for letting sexual predators enter their country. Now the entire Swedish male population must be excluded, according to their logic.
What’s next after this man-free music festival? Man-free cafes? Man-free offices? Man-free public transportation? Knowing Sweden, I would not be the slightest bit surprised if this gender segregated society was the future.
What is truly disappointing to me is that I do not consider these women to be addressing safety, or even reality.
On a side note, I have to question how transgender and non-binary fits into this equation. Basically a man can claim he is a woman and automatically be accepted?
Lauren Ell is an American blogger born and raised in Southern California and is currently based in Sweden. She discusses Epilepsy, Politics and Fun. Professionally Ell is an Online Marketing Consultant and Virtual Assistant. She is also founder and president of Republican Atheists and GunSafetySociety.org. Connect with Lauren on Facebook and Twitter.