Social services in north-eastern Gothenburg faced backlash for using monkeys in counseling materials meant for children, which included problematic imagery related to race. Critics argued that the usage of such imagery contributed to structural racism. Local social worker Bettan Byvald highlighted the insensitivity of using monkeys in this context, given the derogatory associations with the term 'monkey'. While social services head Alessandro Rezaei defended the choice, stating it was meant to represent emotions, the incident raised concerns about racial insensitivity and organizational awareness of such issues, leading to the immediate withdrawal of the material after public outcry.
"This contributes to structural racism," she said. "That's not the aim, I understand that, but that's what it's doing."
“It has not been our intention to in any way express or reinforce racist beliefs in the material,” he said, apologising to anyone who had taken offence.
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