Soraya Post

Soraya Post
MEP
Member of the European Parliament
Assumed office
1 July 2014
Constituency Sweden
Personal details
Born Soraya Viola Heléna Post
(1956-10-15) 15 October 1956
Gothenburg, Sweden
Political party  Swedish
Feminist Initiative
 EU
Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats
Alma mater Gothenburg University

Soraya Viola Heléna Post (born 15 October 1956) is a Swedish politician and Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from Sweden. She is a member of the Feminist Initiative, part of the Progressive Alliance of Socialists and Democrats.[1] Post's father was a German-born Jew, and her mother was a Romani (Norwegian and Swedish Travellers).[2][3]

Career

Post has worked 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.[4] She has been a commissioner at Sveriges Television.[5]

In February 2014, Post was chosen as the party's top candidate for the 2014 European Parliament election in Sweden.[6][7] In the election on 25 May 2014, the Feminist Initiative won one seat in the European Parliament with Post taking the party seat.[8] On 7 June 2014, Post joined the S&D group in the European Parliament.[9]

While Post's election has been widely seen as the party's first European representation,[10] former Liberal People's Party MEP Maria Robsahm had in 2006 defected to the Feminist Initiative, representing the party in the European Parliament until 2009. Post however became the party's first elected MEP[11] and the first Romani in Swedish history to be chosen as a candidate for a political party.[12][13][14] Also, Post and Damian Drăghici from Romania are the only MEPs with Romani background.[15]

In addition to her committee assignments, Post serves as a member of the European Parliament Intergroup on Western Sahara,[16] and is an outspoken supporter of the Campaign for the Establishment of a United Nations Parliamentary Assembly, an organisation which campaigns for democratic reformation of the United Nations.[17]

Soraya Post is also the initiator of the EU Roma Week. A yearly event that takes place in Brussels in connection to the International Roma Day on 8 April. The week consists of a series of events organized and co-hosted by the European Parliament, the European Commission, the European Economic and Social Committee, the Council of Europe, the City of Brussels, several Members of European Parliament (MEPs) from various political groups, the European Parliament Anti-Racism and Diversity Intergroup (ARDI) and many civil society organisations.[18]

Debate over child marriages

Post's eldest daughter entered into an unofficial marriage / Romani engagement at sixteen years of age which was approved by the Romani community.[19] In 2014, the relationship led to public debate in Sweden where critics accused Post for holding a cultural relativistic position and not opposing child marriages. Post responded by referring to the relationship as an engagement, wrote that the engagement had happened 20 years ago and her position on the issue had evolved and that she clearly was against child marriages.[20][21]

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. Archived from the original on March 6, 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  4. ↑ "Soraya Post upprörd över nedlagd utredning". GP.se. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  5. ↑ "Årsstämmor 2010". FS.se. 30 May 2014. Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  6. ↑ Ahlander, Johan (20 April 2011). "Swedish feminist party wins EU seat with anti-racism drive". Yahoo News. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  7. ↑ "European Elections 2014: The Rise of Sweden's Feminist Initiative Party". International Business Times. 21 May 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  8. ↑ Larsson, Mats J. (21 May 2014). "Soraya Post: "Vi skapar historia i hela världen"". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  9. ↑ "Stor brittisk tidning pekar ut Soraya Post som extremist". HelaGotland.se. Retrieved 7 June 2014.
  10. ↑ "Nästa Bryssel för Soraya Post". Expressen. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  11. ↑ Stoeffel, Kat. "Meet the EU Parliament's (Likely) First-Elected Feminist Party Member".
  12. ↑ Fredrik Mellgren (9 February 2014). "Historiskt namn toppar FI:s sedel". Svenska Dagbladet (in Swedish). Archived from the original on April 24, 2014. Retrieved 26 May 2014.
  13. ↑ Soraya Post: The Situation of Romani people in Europe
  14. ↑ A First: Sweden Elects Soraya Post of the Feminist Initiative Party to the European Parliament
  15. ↑ "Two Roma MEPs elected". EUobserver. 27 May 2014. Retrieved 27 May 2014.
  16. ↑ Members European Parliament Intergroup on Western Sahara.
  17. ↑ "Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly". Campaign for a UN Parliamentary Assembly. Retrieved 2017-09-28.
  18. ↑ "EU Roma week". ARDI.
  19. ↑ "Allt handlar om mänskliga rättigheter". Dagens Nyheter (in Swedish). Retrieved 30 May 2014.
  20. ↑ Soroya Post (5 June 2014) Det räcker inte att fördöma barngifte (in Swedish) Aftonbladet
  21. ↑ Maria Hagberg (9 June 2014) ”Det privata är politiskt” SVT
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