'Swedengate' trends after woman claims Swedes have racist name for chocolate balls

A series of tweets have sent the Swedes spiralling and caused #Swedengate to trend after a Black woman criticised the racist name for chocolate balls.

Swedish author, lecturer and social activist Lovette Jallow posted some of her thoughts on the Scandinavian country after having been born in the Gambia but brought up in Sweden from the age of 11.

In her Twitter thread, Jallow claimed it’s the cultural norm for people not to feed their children’s friends when they come over, and coming from the Gambia, it was a culture shock.

In a tweet that sparked #Swedengate, she wrote: “Laughing at twitter finding out that Swedish people will not feed strangers.

“As a kid growing up here we knew to just go home around dinner time. On the flipside my mom would feed Swedish kids though.”

She continued: “As I trailed behind my friend heading for the dinner table, the mom sternly told me I was allowed to wait and play with the toys in my friend's room until dinner was done.”

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People in the comments were shocked to learn about that part of Sweden’s culture. Other Swedes confirmed that’s the norm.

One person replied: “My mom would make us hide the strawberries we were eating if she saw the neighbors kids coming up to our house.

“Scarcity not an issue, lack of generosity yes.”

Another agreed, writing: “Born and raised in Sweden. Never ate dinner in my best friends house, she never ate dinner in my house.

“Maybe I got a cinnamon bun once in 20 years.”

Someone else commented: “I lived in Sweden for many years and a friend told me when he’d go stay with his aunt as a kid, she’d send the receipts for food and groceries back to his mom.”

But that wasn’t the only revelation that shook Twitter. In another tweet, Jallow said that Swedish people call a confectionery, made up of oats, sugar, cacao, butter, cold coffee and coconut, “ni***r balls”.

She continued: “They write entire op eds saying this is Swedish culture so that should tell you where we are on race conversations. #Swedengate.”

Someone responded: “Welp Sweden is off the list to travel.”

Another wrote: “this AND the fact they don’t feed people who come to their houses ???? sweden can go to hell fr [for real].”

One person argued: “They can literally just call it chocolate balls but they want to say ***** so bad smh.”

It seems #Swedengate may have changed some people’s opinion about the historically amiable country.

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