During the sunny and warm Tuesday afternoon, 6698 new Gothenburgers were welcomed with a solemn ceremony by, among others, the Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra in Slottskogen. A ceremony arranged by the Cultural Administration on behalf of the City Council of Gothenburg.
"Freedom and security"
With music, face painting and coffee, thousands gathered in front of the large pond to celebrate both the national day and welcome the new citizens. Rasha Shaaban came to Gothenburg in 2016 to work as a network coordinator for the Anna Lindh Foundation at the Museums of World Culture and is one of those who last year received Swedish citizenship.
"Getting citizenship and the Swedish passport is a dream for me and today I can say that I am Swedish and Egyptian. I can live the freedom and that is so important to me, says Rasha Shaaban.
Celebrated annually
Since 2015, it has been mandatory for municipalities to organise citizenship ceremonies for new citizens. But in Gothenburg it has already been celebrated for many years. According to the chairman of the municipal executive board Jonas Attenius (S), it is important to highlight the new Gothenburgers.
"It is important to mark and welcome our new people into the Gothenburg community in front of the people of Gothenburg, I think it is extremely important and great that we continue with this tradition," says Jonas Attenius.
There are close to 7000 new citizens in Gothenburg, according to some it is too many, what do you say about that?
– We have an arrangement in Sweden today where we have the Migration Board that examines permits and those who get a residence permit and the opportunity to stay, they should of course also be allowed to become Swedish citizens. They should also be welcomed into the Community with the rights and obligations we have here.