The first meeting of the newly elected municipal council in Vetlanda ended with a report to the Equality Ombudsman (DO). Green Party member Hasib Zolic feels he was subjected to ethnic discrimination after the new council chairman, Sven-Åke Karlsson (S), pronounced his surname with a hard ‘k’ instead of a ‘ch’ sound.

This exchange occurred during Wednesday evening’s meeting in the Vetlanda municipal council, the first for the newly elected representatives after the election, according to a report by Vetlanda-Posten.

Already during the introductory round of presentations in the council chamber, the newly elected Green Party member Hasib Zolic brought up his Bosnian background and his upbringing in what he described as disadvantaged areas.

“I have been discriminated against all my life because of my name and where I come from,” he explained during the meeting.

Later in the evening, Zolic requested the floor three times. When he was called up to the podium, he pointed out to the new council chairman Sven-Åke Karlsson (S) that the letter ć at the end of his surname should be pronounced as a ‘ch’ sound and not with a hard ‘k’.

“Refuses to even try”

When the Green Party member brought the matter up again during his third and final address, Sven-Åke Karlsson eventually replied that he intended to continue pronouncing the name with a ‘k’ sound.

“I felt dismissed. He didn’t even try to say it right, even though I tried to help him,” Hasib Zolic told the newspaper.

According to Zolic, the incorrect pronunciation is both offensive and derogatory. He justifies the link to ethnic affiliation by pointing out that the name ending is common in the Balkans and corresponds to the Swedish surname ending ‘-son’.

Late on Wednesday evening, he submitted a report to the Equality Ombudsman (DO). According to the report, he has filed a complaint against the Social Democrats in Vetlanda under the category of treatment by employees of the municipality, region, or state, with ethnic background specified as the grounds for discrimination. In the section describing the incident on October 21, Zolic summarized his complaint:

“I request that my name be pronounced as I wish, but the chair of the municipal council refuses to even try.”

Chairman: I Don’t Speak Every Language

Council chairman Sven-Åke Karlsson believes that the DO report is exaggerated and unnecessary. He argues that Zolic could have approached him after the meeting to resolve the issue in person.

Karlsson emphasizes that he tries to pronounce the names of all 45 council members as accurately as possible, but that he does not speak every language. In a comment to Sveriges Radio he states that he now knows how the name should sound.

“I will keep that in mind for next time,” he says.