- We can not stand still and watch.
Go out hard, say no, say that we cancel this because we do not think it is good, says municipal councilor Martha Wicklund (V).
- How should you be able to have such an exchange between students and companies if the base you are on is completely different?
Because then everyone obviously does not agree because some people in Lodz are not included in the population, she continues.
"Political marking"
Örebro is one of about 40 Swedish municipalities that have twinning cooperation with municipalities in Poland.
Some of these now call themselves "free from LGBTQ ideology", which both hurt and stigmatized gay, bisexual and transgender people who live there.
In total, there are about 100 Polish cities and municipalities.
Recently, the European Commission rejected an application from several municipalities in Poland for grants of between 5,000 and 25,000 euros for twinning cooperation.
It looks like a small and most symbolic mark on the part of the Commission. Is that it?
- No.
I think it is a fairly sharp political mark.
This is a program that has as one of its foundations that it must work against discrimination.
And then it is completely natural to take such a measure, says Christian Danielsson, head of the European Commission's office in Sweden.
Does not break with the twin town
The municipal management in Örebro is reviewing which twin towns to have in the future.
But do not see an anti-LGBTQ declaration as a reason in itself to break with the twin town of Lodz.
- In principle, I share the criticism and concern about what is happening in Poland.
That's awful, of course.
But to use the twinning exchange in the way that you mark by sending letters or interrupting, I think and the entire municipal management is the wrong way, says municipal councilor Lennart Bondeson (KD).