ETC's Spitting Employee Convicted of Harassment – Here’s the Sentence

ETC’s illustrator Eman Garnheim, who describes himself as “very left-wing, socialist and anti-racist,” has been convicted of harassment after spitting in the face of top Sweden Democrat Richard Jomshof during a concert in Stockholm this spring. Garnheim claimed that Jomshof was lying about the incident to promote his Islam-critical book Kafir and accused him of “playing the victim.” The penalty is a fine, paid in daily amounts.

The incident took place around midnight between May 15th and 16th at Slaktkyrkan in Johanneshov, southern Stockholm, when Sweden Democrat MP Richard Jomshof was attending a synth concert with his wife.

As he was about to leave the venue, he was confronted by the widely known illustrator Emanu Garnheim, 45, who is known for political satire, mainly targeting figures to the right of the political spectrum.

Over the years, Garnheim has collaborated with the far-left magazine ETC – or the “independent red-green newspaper,” as Swedish Television (SVT) might describe it. His illustrations frequently appear in the magazine, where Garnheim is described as “beloved by the people.”

The same cartoonist spat in the face of MP Richard Jomshof during the concert.

– It hit my face and neck, and I remember wiping my cheek with the back of my left hand. Later, my wife noticed I had spit on my polo shirt, Jomshof told police during questioning.

The Sweden Democrat leader has said it is not uncommon for party representatives to face similar attacks. At the same time, he said he tried to remain calm, as politicians otherwise risk being exposed by the media.

– Naturally, I was surprised. I stopped and turned to confront him immediately. I think I was both surprised and upset, Jomshof said during questioning.

– But this is not the first time people do similar things, so I’ve learned to stay as calm as possible when it happens because there’s always a risk it escalates.

– I also know that if something happens and I defend myself, it will be written about in the newspapers and it won’t matter if I just defended myself; I’ll still be exposed. So I always try to respond verbally, unless I can just walk away, but this time I was really provoked.

Jomshof has also emphasized that elected officials must be able to participate in public events without risking attacks or harassment.

“Want to punch Jomshof in the face”

Following the incident, ETC’s cartoonist was ejected from the concert by security guards. Jomshof, however, chose not to report it to the police on site. The report was filed later, after it became clear they shared acquaintances in the synth music scene.

Chat transcripts and police interviews in documents from Södertörn District Court also revealed that the 45-year-old cartoonist is known as “Janet” among friends and moves in circles where several people are transgender.

Trans issues are mentioned several times in police questioning and cited as a contributing factor to the “unpleasant” atmosphere. According to the statements, his trans friends felt uncomfortable with Jomshof being present.

The same case documents include chat conversations that are incriminating for the cartoonist. In a chat with a mutual acquaintance on the same night, he reportedly wrote that he “wants to punch Jomshof in the face,” but also that he would try to refrain from doing so.

One of the man’s messages from the evening. Facsimile

Accusations of Marketing the Islam Book

In questioning with the Swedish Security Service, cartoonist Emanu Garnheim denied the actions Jomshof accused him of. He did admit to being at the concert and being involved in a confrontation with the Sweden Democrat leader.

He later described the incident as a “stupid drunken thing.” In the interviews, he also described himself as “very left-wing,” “socialist,” and “anti-racist,” but said he was not politically active, merely “very unorganized.”

Garnheim also lamented that Jomshof had previously told the media about the incident. According to the cartoonist, this makes him easy to identify, as he is the only cartoonist in the synth scene.

The cartoonist asked the Security Service whether it is a crime or a violation of press ethics to tell the story as Jomshof did, even though Jomshof never mentioned him by name.

Garnheim suspected that Jomshof chose to speak about the event as a way to promote his new Islam-critical book, Kafir, and, as he put it, “play the victim.”

At the same time, in connection with the incident, the cartoonist sent messages admitting, “I did such a damn stupid thing yesterday.”

ETC Figure Worried About “Nazi Followers”

Another witness presented by the prosecutor at the main hearing described herself as a very close friend of ETC’s “spit cartoonist.” The witness stated that Emanu Garnheim had told her he spat at Jomshof and afterwards felt anxiety over what had happened.

In the same questioning, the cartoonist’s friend said that he had expressed anxiety about Jomshof’s “Nazi followers.”

The friend also mentioned worries about what could follow after the incident: “Anxious that approximately what is happening now would happen, but also that the Nazi followers would catch up with Emanu, or jump him,” the friend recounted to police.

Now, ETC-figure Emanu Garnheim has been convicted of harassment and sentenced to 80 day fines of 310 kronor each. The number of days was set higher than usual because the victim is a member of parliament.