What did the U.S. Embassy say to Stockholm about DEI? Answer: Are You Joking!
Stockholm Vice Mayor for City Planning Jan Valeskog just called the anti-DEI demand “bizarre” and “completely absurd,” and said Stockholm will never agree to it. In today’s scramble to monetize influence and control narratives, whether in sports or politics, some countries, much like bold young athletes, are standing their ground and saying, “You don’t own me.”
At the center of this international fumble is Jan Valeskog, Stockholm’s Vice Mayor for City Planning, who swiftly and sharply rejected the embassy’s request to abandon the city’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) requirements for contractors. In his own words, the demand was “bizarre.” Imagine telling a city that celebrates diversity at its core to turn its back on that ethos. Valeskog’s refusal wasn’t just bureaucratic pushback, it was a cultural stand. He made it clear that Stockholm would continue to uphold its inclusive values, regardless of pressure from Washington.
The U.S. Embassy’s request appears to be part of a broader anti-DEI campaign influenced by the Trump administration’s domestic policies. While many American corporations and institutions have already faced internal rollbacks, the attempt to export this agenda internationally has hit a wall. Stockholm’s resistance shows that not every nation is willing to abandon progress in favor of appeasement, especially when it undermines the very principles they stand for.