"US export regulations" dictating who can go to school in Sweden

[Deleted]

http://www.thelocal.se/50086/20130905/

A Swedish teenager has been denied a place on a flight engineer course at a Swedish high school due to having been born in Iraq, a decision described as "unacceptable" by a legal expert at the Swedish Schools Inspectorate (Skolinspektionen).

"People like me are not allowed in there and I am very disappointed because I was first admitted and was then rejected," Hussein Radhi told Sveriges Television (SVT).

16-year-old Radhi, who moved to Sweden as a 3-year-old and has been a citizen for 13 years, was initially accepted to the course at the Nils Ericsson high school in Trollhättan.

But when his place of birth was brought to the attention of the school's education partner GKN Aerospace, he was told that he was no longer welcome.

The school has responded with regret over the news but stated that they are obliged to follow the regulations of the firm, where pupils spend a large part of their placement.

"Not everyone gets the placement that they desire, even on other programmes. But it shouldn't be based on ethnicity," Karl-Olof Pettersson at Nils Ericsson high school told SVT.

Pettersson conceded however that Hussein's place of birth had in fact been the obstacle in this case and explained that trade regulations were to blame.

"It is almost a global political issue," he said.

Anna Tamelin, a lawyer at the Swedish Schools Inspectorate, has called the decision into question.

"I find it extremely doubtful, virtually impossible, (to believe) that it is permitted to have a general high school programme where US export regulations dictate the terms of who gets in or not," she said to the local TTELA daily.

GKN Aerospace is a supplier to the global aviation industry with business equally focused on military and civil markets, whose operations in Sweden formally belonged to Volvo Aero. The Local's attempts to reach the firm for comment on Thursday have been unsuccessful.

So, anyone that thinks USA shold be able to dictate who can get in at a school/programme/firm in another country than their own? This seems to be slightly retarded. Ok, more than slightly - it's very retarded.

Update in the case:

Update in the case:

http://www.thelocal.se/20140528/us-r...edish-watchdog

A Swedish engine company risks a $75,000 fine for telling an Iraqi-born high school student he could not intern with them, because it put them at odds with US export rules.

The boy was enrolled in an industrial technology programme at a high school in Trollhättan, western Sweden, which incorporates internships as a major component of the pupils' education. The 16-year-old was all set to intern at a company that manufactures parts of airplane engines, but just before the start of the autumn term last year, he was told he could not start his internship.

The company said US export rules meant they could not take on the boy, who was born in Iraq.

On Wednesday, Sweden's Discrimination Ombudsman (Diskrimineringsombudsmannen - DO) found that the boy had been discriminated against on the basis of ethnicity, and it will now take the case to court.

"As the company denied the boy an internship by making direct reference to his ethnic origin, rather than making an individual assessment, I find that he has been discriminated," case work Agneta Broberg said in statement.

"A company cannot refer to international rules for export control to break Swedish discrimination law," she added.

The ombudsman's office will take the company to a labour tribunal, where it will argue that it should pay damages to the tune of half a million Swedish kronor ($75,000).

Penalties for discrimination were made more severe in 2009, in order to act as a greater deterrent, the ombudsman's office notes on its website.

So, they established that it's against Swedish law to do that.

[Cybran]

They get to impose their will on other countries, because they can bully anyone that stands up to them into submission.

http://www.nytimes.com/roomfordebate...gans-hard-line

US foreign policy often involves Genocide and instigating civil wars, so you are getting off easy.

[Elegiac]

Another "we hate the USA" thread. Joy.

Get some goddamn perspective, both of you.

[Deleted]

I don't see how questioning why they should be able to decide who gets in on some education in another country is equivalent to "I hate USA".

[Olo]

Don't do business in the US if you don't want to abide by US trade regulations.

[This name sucks]

Another "we hate the USA" thread. Joy.

Get some goddamn perspective, both of you.

So you don't see a problem with the US preventing a kid in sweden from getting an education

[Elegiac]

I don't see how questioning why they should be able to decide who gets in on some education in another country is equivalent to "I hate USA".

And I don't see how providing an article that doesn't actually provide much in-depth information concerning these regulations forms a reasonable basis for debate.

[Kalyyn]

Why are you blaming us for something your own government is doing? It's really more of a suggestion than a rule. It's not like we're going to attack Sweden if you don't comply. Blame your government for being America's dog.

[Deleted]

Don't do business in the US if you don't want to abide by US trade regulations.

So discriminating on basis of ethnicity when accepting people to a programme is fine, because the US says so?

[Masark]

Are you or have you ever been a resident of a middle-eastern country?

[Tradewind]

Dat town name...

Trollhättan

[Olo]

Why are you blaming us for something your own government is doing? It's really more of a suggestion than a rule. It's not like we're going to attack Sweden if you don't comply. Blame your government for being America's dog.

This isn't the Swedish government. Its a defense/aerospace company that does business in/with the US and therefore must follow US trade regulations.

[Rukentuts]

Stop with the fucking USA scapegoat shit for your government's problems.

[Reg]

It mentions GKN Aerospace. Isn't that a British company? It doesn't surprise me they are following US trade "regulation".

[Deleted]

Um, the article mentions the USA exactly zero times.

Stop with the fucking USA scapegoat shit for your government's problems.

"I find it extremely doubtful, virtually impossible, (to believe) that it is permitted to have a general high school programme where US export regulations dictate the terms of who gets in or not," she said to the local TTELA daily.

[Elegiac]

Um, the article mentions the USA exactly zero times.

Stop with the fucking USA scapegoat shit for your government's problems.

Especially considering that GKN is a British aerospace manufacturer.

[Olo]

So discriminating on basis of ethnicity when accepting people to a programme is fine, because the US says so?

Neither you or the article provides any detail on what restriction created this so we can't debate it.

[Rukentuts]

"I find it extremely doubtful, virtually impossible, (to believe) that it is permitted to have a general high school programme where US export regulations dictate the terms of who gets in or not," she said to the local TTELA daily.

So your government chooses to follow US regulations? Oh boy that's our problem.

But I suppose it's a lot easier to scapegoat someone else.

[Elegiac]

"I find it extremely doubtful, virtually impossible, (to believe) that it is permitted to have a general high school programme where US export regulations dictate the terms of who gets in or not," she said to the local TTELA daily.

That's the only mention, and it doesn't provide much information about said regulations or how the US is magically controlling the decisions of the Swedish government.

[ComputerNerd]

If the US is able to dictate the policy in your country, then it because you have a weak government.
It is not the fault of the USA or anyone else but your own politicians.

Now take another look at who is to blame for this mess.