The SVT joke: “Ukrainian women are noticed the most in brothels”

Published 16 March 2024 at 12.01

Media. After the state-owned Swedish Television aired a comedy segment in which an Arab employee of SVT singled out Ukrainian women as prostitutes, SVT is now being criticized by Ukraine's ambassador in Stockholm.

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“I consider such statements to be deeply offensive and completely unacceptable,” says a statement from the Ukrainian ambassador Andrij Plachotnyuk.

It was in SVT's comedy program “Immigrants for Swedes” that TV -the giant's own journalist Elaf Ali said the following about women who fled from Ukraine:

– Many who came from Ukraine had to stay. … They are fair-haired so they blend in. Perhaps it is most noticeable… maybe… at the brothels.

According to SVT's broadcasting license, the broadcasts must be characterized by “the equal value of all people”. The provision means that SVT must “distance itself from” or “respond to” derogatory statements about ethnic groups. In practice, however, this only applies to statements about Arabs, Africans and the like, while it is free to express derogatory statements about European ethnic groups, with the exception of Jews.

Christina Hill, publisher responsible for the program, writes in a comment to Aftonbladet:

“It is of course not relevant for SVT to take any measures due to this as the content of the program is covered by Swedish freedom of expression”.

I am deeply upset and firmly condemn the words of Swedish journalist Elaf Ali directed at Ukrainian women in Sweden in one of the latest humor programs "IFS – immigrants for Swedes" on the state channel SVT.

I consider such statements to be deeply offensive and…

— Andrii Plakhotniuk (@a_plakhotniuk) March 15, 2024