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Sweden: Woman didn't want help from 'dark-skinned' clerk
28-12-2011
The Local:
A woman's refusal to be served by a "dark-skinnned" clerk at the local office of a public agency is not a crime, a Swedish court has ruled.
On two occasions within the span of a few days, the woman simply refused to go up to the desk at which the clerk in question sat, the local Nerikes Allehanda (NA) newspaper reported.
In explaining her decision, the woman explained to other clerks as well as a manager at the office that she didn't want to be served by a black person.
The incident resulted in the woman being charged with harassment, with an alternative charge of insulting behaviour.
In an initial review of the case, the Örebro District Court acquitted the woman, noting that she had never directly confronted the clerk in question about her reasons for not wanting to be served.
As the derogatory remarks were only mentioned to the clerk's colleagues, the court ruled that the woman had no intention of insulting the clerk.
The case was nevertheless appealed to the Göta Court of Appeal, which on Tuesday ruled as well that the woman wasn't guilty of committing any crime, even if he behaviour could be viewed as insulting by the clerk.
http://www.thelocal.se/38190/20111228/ Email this story to a friend | Printable Version
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