Soraya Post

Soraya Post
Member of the European Parliament
Incumbent
Assumed office
1 July 2014
Personal details
Born Soraya Viola Heléna Post
15 October 1956
Gothenburg, Sweden
Political party Feminist Initiative

Soraya Viola Heléna Post (born 15 October 1956) is a Swedish politician for the Feminist Initiative party.[1] Post's father was a German-born Jew, and her mother was a Romani (Norwegian and Swedish Travellers).[2][3]

Career

In February 2014, Post was chosen as the party's top candidate for the 2014 European Parliament election in Sweden.[4][5] Post became the European Union Parliament’s first-elected member of the feminist party[6] and the first Romani in Swedish history to be chosen as a candidate for a political party.[7][8] In the election on 25 May 2014, the Feminist Initiative won one seat in the European Parliament—its first representation ever in Europe[9]—with Post taking the party seat.[10]

She let her eldest daughter marry at sixteen years old, legally underage in Sweden. The unofficial wedding was approved by the Romani group. Child weddings are controversial among feminists and only legal under certain circumstances in Sweden.[11] Post and Damian Drăghici from Romania were the two Romani candidates elected to the European Parliament in 2014.[12]

Post works with questions about national minorities at Västra Götaland County justice and equality committee, and has also worked with question surrounding the Romani people and she also helped starting Agnesbergs folkhögskola in Gothenburg in 2007.[13] She has been a commissioner at Sveriges Television.[14] In the days after the European Parliament elections, Aftonbladet newspaper revealed that The Sun had reportedly labeled Post a right-wing extremist and alleged she had connections to right-wing party members.[15]

On 7 June it was revealed that Post would join the Social Democratic group in the European Parliament.[16]

See also

References

  1. ↑ DeHaas, Caroline. "We need a feminist voice in Europe – these elections can be a new beginning". The Guardian. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  2. ↑ "Fi framstår som EU-valets mest federalistiska parti" (in Swedish). Sveriges Radio. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  3. ↑ "Jag fick aldrig hålla fröken i handen" (in Swedish). Vgregion.se. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. ↑ Ahlander, Johan (20 April 2011). "Swedish feminist party wins EU seat with anti-racism drive". Yahoo News. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "European Elections 2014: The Rise of Sweden's Feminist Initiative Party". International Business Times. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Stoeffel, Kat. "Meet the EU Parliament's (Likely) First-Elected Feminist Party Member".
  7. ↑ Fredrik Mellgren (9 February 2014). "Historiskt namn toppar FI:s sedel". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  8. ↑ "Correction: European Elections story". Stltoday.com. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Nästa Bryssel för Soraya Post". Expressen. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  10. ↑ Larsson, Mats J. (21 May 2014). "Soraya Post: "Vi skapar historia i hela världen"". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  11. ↑ "Allt handlar om mänskliga rättigheter". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  12. ↑ "Two Roma MEPs elected". EUobserver. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Göteborgs-Posten "Soraya Post upprörd över nedlagd utredning". GP.se. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  14. ↑ "Årsstämmor 2010". FS.se. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  15. ↑ "Stor brittisk tidning pekar ut Soraya Post som extremist". Aftonbladet. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  16. ↑ "Stor brittisk tidning pekar ut Soraya Post som extremist". HelaGotland.se. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
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