Sanna Laakso, a Sweden Finn living in Emmaboda, noticed the error quite directly after the municipality had posted about its plans for the Sweden Finns' day. She contacted the municipality about the error. According to Laakso, the municipality responded that they would not use the material anymore, but she saw as recently as Friday morning that the municipality was still using it.
The reason for the error is that the municipality created the graphic elements of the poster using AI. The AI produced an incorrect flag and the municipality forgot to double-check that everything was correct. The exact nature of the error in the flag for Sweden Finns has not been specified.
I got the response that they would not use it anymore, but I saw as recently as this morning that they were still using it.
' In recent years, Emmaboda municipality has invested in work to highlight Sweden's five minorities, and Sanna Laakso has been part of that work. Laakso is also critical that the municipality used a symbol where she believes Jews are not represented. The symbol depicts a heart with the text 'for everyone's equal value' around it, divided into five pieces with a flag for each minority in each piece.
Since Jews do not have their own flag, a Swedish flag has been placed there instead. The municipality explains that they have coordinated this with the Jewish congregation. Laakso believes that Jews have other symbols that can be used, though she has not specified what those symbols are.
We have been flying the flag for the Sweden Finns since 2024, so we know how the flag should look.
The Jewish congregation's response to the use of the Swedish flag remains unclear. Measures to prevent similar errors with AI-generated materials in the future have not been announced.
We who know who the five minorities are see that one is missing. It is not a good symbol if you have to explain how you have thought.