Swedish TV Show Sparks Outrage in China For Making Fun of Chinese Tourists
By Ryan General
A TV show in Sweden has sparked outrage among Chinese netizens after airing a controversial episode that made fun of Chinese people.
With the purported topic of “welcoming Chinese people to Sweden,” the sketch on the satirical program Svenska Nyheter (Swedish news) listed some do’s and don’ts for Chinese tourists.
The video, which was dubbed in Chinese, gained attention in China after it was uploaded on local video sharing site Youku.
Among the “don’ts” listed include “taking a poo outside of a historical place” and “mistaking pet dogs for lunch.”
On Weibo, the hashtag “Swedish TV Show Insults China” (#瑞典辱华节目#) became a trending topic, gaining over 20,5 million views over the weekend.
The show also irked social media users in China for a “joke” that insinuated being racist to Chinese people is alright.
According to “What’s On Weibo,” the host noted that “Sweden is a multicultural society that protects the rights of everybody – believing in the equality of everybody no matter where they are from – unless they come from China.”
The episode, which was first aired on Friday night, comes weeks after the viral incident involving a Chinese family in Stockholm earlier this month.
The incident, which allegedly involved a Chinese man being dragged out of a hotel by Swedish police, led to the issuance of a safety alert by the Chinese Embassy in Sweden for Chinese tourists visiting the country.
On Saturday, the agency also released a statement strongly denouncing the TV show for “maliciously attacking China and Chinese people.”
In its official statement, the Chinese Embassy in Sweden wrote:
“The program leader Jesper Rönndahl made comments that amount to a gross insult to and vicious attack on China and the Chinese people. We strongly condemn it and have lodged a strong protest to SVT. The SVT program and Jesper Rönndahl spread and advocate racism and xenophobia outright, and openly provoke and instigate racial hatred and confrontation targeting at China and some other ethnic groups.”
Chinese news outlet “The Observer” has named “Svenska Nyheter” “the Swedish TV show that insults China,” calling its content a form of “defamation of Chinese people.”
Featured Image via Svenska Nyheter
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