Trump picks pro-tariff billionaire Howard Lutnick for US commerce secretary
US president-elect nominates Lutnick, a Wall Street investment firm CEO, to lead his ‘tariff and trade agenda’. United States President-elect Donald Trump has nominated Howard Lutnick, a billionaire and head of the investment firm Cantor Fitzgerald, as the next US secretary of commerce. In a statement on Tuesday, Trump hailed Lutnick – who has served as co-chair of the Republican’s transition team – as “a dynamic force on Wall Street for more than 30 years”. “He will lead our Tariff and Trade agenda, with additional direct responsibility for the Office of the United States Trade Representative,” Trump said. The nomination is the latest from Trump, who has named a growing list of Republican allies and other loyalists to cabinet posts since he won the November 5 presidential election over Democrat Kamala Harris. As commerce secretary, Lutnick would be in charge of a sprawling cabinet agency that is involved in funding new computer chip factories, imposing trade restrictions, releasing economic data and monitoring the weather. It is also a position in which connections to CEOs and the wider business community are crucial. Under President Joe Biden, the Commerce Department stepped up export controls on critical technologies like quantum computing and semiconductor manufacturing goods, taking aim at access by adversaries like Beijing. Trump’s incoming administration could harden this stance. The Republican has promised to slap 10- to 20-percent tariffs on all imports as well as a 60-percent tariff on goods coming specifically from China, which the US views as one of its top geopolitical rivals. Researchers at the Peterson Institute for International Economics said in August that a 20-percent tariff across the board alongside a 60-percent tariff on China “would cost a typical US household in the middle of the income distribution more than $2,600 a year”. But Trump and his allies have portrayed the tariffs policy as a key plank of his “America First” foreign policy agenda. Lutnick told CNBC in September that “tariffs are an amazing tool for the president to use – we need to protect the American worker”. A native of New York City’s Long Island suburbs with a background in trading and real estate, Lutnick has been one of Trump’s top Wall Street advocates, hosting fundraisers and touting his policies in the media. Speaking at a Trump campaign rally last month at Madison Square Garden in New York City, he said the US has been “letting the rest of the world eat our lunch”. “And it is time to Make America Great Again,” he shouted. Earlier in his speech, Lutnick said the first reason to re-elect Trump, however, was “because we must crush jihad”. Before Tuesday’s nomination, Lutnick had been considered for secretary of the US Treasury, a role that has been at the centre of high-profile jockeying within the Trump world. Billionaire Elon Musk and others in Trump’s orbit had called on the president-elect to dump the previous frontrunner for treasury secretary, Scott Bessent, in favour of Lutnick. “Bessent is a business-as-usual choice, whereas [Lutnick] will actually enact change,” Musk wrote in a social media post on Saturday. Trump has yet to name a treasury secretary, but on Tuesday he also named the television doctor and former Republican Senate candidate for Pennsylvania Mehmet Oz as the administrator for the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services. Dr Oz, as he is popularly known, is a Turkish American medical doctor who had a daytime talk show from 2009 to 2022. Adblock test (Why?)
Musk to launch SpaceX Starship rocket with Trump at his side
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, launched the sixth test of his SpaceX rocket with United States President-elect Donald Trump joining him to watch. Trump and Musk travelled to Brownsville, Texas, on Tuesday to attend the launch of the giant Starship rocket at SpaceX’s test site in nearby Boca Chica. The rocket lifted off shortly after 5pm (23:00 GMT), about an hour behind schedule. But SpaceX chose to abort a planned attempt to catch the first-state booster of the rocket using the ‘chopstick’ technique, instead allowing it to fall into the ocean. The last Starship test flight in October made headlines after the Super Heavy booster made a stunning return to the launch site where it was captured midair by a pair of giant mechanical “chopstick” arms attached to SpaceX’s launch tower. Liftoff of Starship! pic.twitter.com/rSLQ2DDy63 — SpaceX (@SpaceX) November 19, 2024 Trump’s attendance is part of a growing bond with Musk – the owner of SpaceX, the electric carmaker Tesla and the social media platform X – who is a strong political supporter, having spent close to $130m to help get the former president re-elected. Trump was expected to be joined by his son Donald Jr and Republican Senator Ted Cruz of Texas. Starship, the largest rocket ever built, is designed to be a reusable vehicle for flying cargo and people beyond Earth. Musk’s constant presence Trump’s presence at the launch is “another example of Musk’s increasing role in Trump’s orbit”, according to a report by CNN. Since Trump won the US November 5 presidential election, Musk has been a constant presence at the president-elect’s Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Florida. He has counselled Trump on nominees for the new administration and joined the president-elect’s phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Musk also flew with Trump for a meeting with Republicans from the House of Representatives in Washington, DC last Wednesday, and joined him for the Ultimate Fighting Championship at Madison Square Garden in New York on Saturday. Trump has recently rewarded Musk for his political support by appointing him, along with Republican Vivek Ramaswamy, to advise the newly created Department of Government Efficiency with a mission to slash government spending. “Importantly, we will drive out the massive waste and fraud which exists throughout our annual $6.5 Trillion Dollars of Government Spending,” Trump said in a statement about the appointment, one of his first after winning the election. Musk’s businesses could benefit personally from his close ties with Trump. SpaceX – which has among its goals to eventually start a colony on Mars – has billions of dollars in government contracts. The billionaire has also battled with US federal regulators over safety concerns involving autonomous driving, which is available in his Tesla electric vehicles. “Trump has the biggest possible regard for people who break the rules and get away with it,” said William Galston, a senior fellow in governance studies at the Brookings Institution, told The Associated Press news agency. “Musk has demonstrated extraordinary accomplishment in doing that.” Not always friends The two have not always been that close, however. Trump used to mock Musk in his election speeches and Musk had once said it was time for Trump to “hang up his hat & sail into the sunset” because he was too old to be president. But that changed after Trump survived an assassination attempt in the lead-up to the election. Musk endorsed Trump and became a central figure on the Republican campaign trail. Trump even started to talk about Musk’s space accomplishments while campaigning. He was intrigued when Starship’s reusable rocket booster returned to the launch tower and was caught by mechanical arms. “Did you see the way that sucker landed today?” Trump asked the crowd at a political rally after that Starship test. So far, there are no indications that the friendship forged during the election is about to cool. Last week, Musk was a guest of honour at a black-tie event held at Mar-a-Lago. Trump, in his remarks that night, said Musk’s IQ was “about as high as they can get” and praised him as “a really good guy.” Musk was then invited to speak to the crowd. “The public has given us a mandate that could not be more clear,” Musk said of the election results, sounding more like Trump’s running mate than a buddy. Adblock test (Why?)
Recess appointments: Can Trump bypass Senate to appoint Gaetz, other aides?
Throughout his business, media and political career, Donald Trump has demonstrated a willingness to break the norm. But the United States president-elect’s latest proposal to do away with the established processes used to appoint cabinet officials to his incoming administration poses grave risks to the rule of law in the country, experts say. Just days after his election victory this month, Trump on November 10 invoked a provision under the US Constitution that would allow him to appoint cabinet members without Senate confirmation. “Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner,” Trump wrote on social media, prompting all three contenders for the leadership role to to quickly say they would comply. The suggestion to use so-called “recess appointments” has sparked concern as Trump continues to roll out a list of controversial nominees to key positions within his government, including far-right firebrand Matt Gaetz as head of the US Justice Department. Bypassing the Senate would dilute the checks-and-balances system that provides Congress with oversight over the executive branch, analysts told Al Jazeera, while effectively giving Trump even more power at a time when Republicans hold “trifecta” control of the White House, Senate and House of Representatives. “The selection of the cabinet is the primary way in which the president exercises power,” said David Froomkin, an assistant professor at the University of Houston Law Center who specialises in administrative law. “Eliminating the most important check on that power would massively empower the president.” Any Republican Senator seeking the coveted LEADERSHIP position in the United States Senate must agree to Recess Appointments (in the Senate!), without which we will not be able to get people confirmed in a timely manner. Sometimes the votes can take two years, or more. This is… — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 10, 2024 A vestige of the past But what exactly is a recess appointment? The process dates back to the country’s early days, when the US Congress would be in recess for months at a time, usually during the summer. When lawmakers were gone and a vacancy occurred, the US Constitution allowed the president to appoint someone without confirmation, though only through the end of the next session of Congress, explained Gabe Neville, a senior adviser at the law firm Covington & Burling, which focuses on regulatory practices. “In the modern era, when Congress is in session most of the time, there have been some changes in how the process works and is used,” Neville said. Lawmakers are no longer travelling by stagecoach and rail, for example, so there is no longer a need for the president to fill vacancies on an emergency basis because Congress would not be meeting for months. But recess appointments have persisted, although not at the high-profile cabinet level. Former presidents have used the provision mostly to fast-track the approval of federal judges — but the authority technically applies to any appointee, including top cabinet members and Supreme Court justices. Former US President Bill Clinton made 139 recess appointments to full-time positions, for instance, and his successor George W Bush made 171. After that, President Barack Obama made 32 before a US Supreme Court decision in 2014 restricted the president’s ability to invoke the power to periods in which the Senate was in recess for at least 10 days. Wary to give the president too much power, Congress has in the past worked around the provision by calling what’s known as “pro forma” sessions, when no real work is being done, just to stop the president from using the authority. “So a member from Maryland or Virginia who lives close by would come in and call the House and Senate into session and then immediately adjourn for the day. But technically they’re in session that day,” Neville told Al Jazeera. But in theory, members of Congress could also decide to go on recess precisely in order to allow the president to make recess appointments — and Neville said there is an opportunity now, with Republicans in control of Congress and Trump in the White House, for GOP lawmakers to do that. “And we haven’t really seen that before,” he said. Sending a message Still, it remains unclear when — or even whether — Trump may invoke the recess appointment authority, or whether Congress would go into recess to allow him to do so. The new Congress will start on January 3, three weeks before the presidential inauguration, and Republican senators are planning to begin hearings on Trump’s cabinet nominees immediately. Should Trump appoint one of his nominees during a congressional recess, that person would only remain in office for the remaining duration of the two-year Congress. But by mentioning the provision, Trump – whom critics accuse of authoritarianism – is sending a message to lawmakers, even those from his own party, that he may have little patience for their pushback. “If the Senate goes along with Trump’s demand, it will be the first loud sound of the Constitution ripping,” Michael Waldman, president of the Brennan Center for Justice at New York University School of Law, wrote in an op-ed. Nicholas Xenakis, a former chief counsel for late Democratic Senator Dianne Feinstein who also works at the Covington & Burling law firm, told Al Jazeera that the president-elect may also be invoking the power as “leverage”. “Like, ‘Hey Senate, don’t make me use this power I have. Hurry up and confirm my nominees’,” he said. “[Opposition] parties often will be very slow to confirm nominees because they don’t support the president’s agenda,” Xenakis said, adding that such situations played out during Trump’s first term as well as during Democratic President Joe Biden’s administration. “So this may just be used as a way to push back on that,” he said. Avoid public scrutiny Still, with Republicans controlling the Senate, that sort of pushback is
Brazil arrests five suspects in alleged Lula assassination plot
Four G20 security guards reportedly among those arrested after murder bid mentioned for first time as part of coup probe. Five people have been arrested in Brazil for their suspected involvement in an alleged attempt to assassinate then President-elect Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and his vice president in December 2022, according to police. The police said in a statement on Tuesday that most of those investigated in the alleged coup attempt are military personnel with special forces training. “A detailed operational plan called ‘Green and Yellow Dagger’ was identified, which would be executed on December 15, 2022, aimed at the murder of the elected candidates for president and vice president,” the statement said, in an apparent reference to the colours of the Brazilian flag. This was the first time in the alleged coup attempt investigation that federal police have mentioned a plot to kill Lula and Vice President Geraldo Alckmin. Federal police officers carried out five arrest warrants on Tuesday, the police said without providing any names. The four “were arrested in Rio [de Janeiro], where they were participating in the security operation for the G20 leaders meeting” on Monday, a federal police source told the AFP news agency, adding that a police officer was also taken into custody. Jair Bolsonaro Lula won the presidential election in October 2022, defeating the far-right incumbent Jair Bolsonaro, and took office in January last year. Thousands of Bolsonaro supporters stormed government buildings in Brasilia on January 8 last year. Several investigations have been opened into those events as well as other alleged plots to prevent Lula from taking office. A federal police investigation will conclude that Bolsonaro conspired to engineer the attempted coup after he lost the election, a source with direct knowledge of the investigations told the Reuters news agency in October. The probe is expected to finish its work this month. The Brazilian army monitored the federal operation against the coup plotters, which was carried out in the states of Rio de Janeiro, Goias, Amazonas and the Federal District. The police said the suspects under investigation had planned for an “Institutional Crisis Management Office” to be installed to manage problems arising from the coup. They also planned to seize and kill a Supreme Court justice if they succeeded, police said without naming the judge. Adblock test (Why?)
EU court starts hearing case over Hungary’s alleged anti-LGBTQ law
The EU alleges the Hungarian law undermines core human rights values while Budapest says it wants to protect children. The top court in the European Union has started hearing a case that marks a major confrontation between Hungary and the bloc over a law criticised as being anti-LGBTQ. A lawyer for the European Commission, which in December 2022 referred the case to the Court of Justice, told the tribunal on Tuesday that the legislation was a “massive and flagrant violation of several important EU rules”. “This is a frontal and serious attack on the rule of law and more generally on European society.” The Hungarian Child Protection Act is legislation approved by the Central European country in 2021 with the ostensible goal of safeguarding children from harm, including by imposing a zero-tolerance policy for convicted paedophiles. But it also puts restrictions on depictions of homosexuality and gender reassignment in media and educational content made for children under 18, prompting outrage from activists and many politicians in other EU countries who criticised the law for stigmatising LGBTQ people and equating same-sex relations to paedophilia. The European Parliament in April adopted a resolution that strongly condemned the law and alleges it works towards dismantling democracy and the rule of law in Hungary. Sixteen of the 27 member states of the bloc, including France and Germany, also joined in on the legal action taken against Budapest in what has been described as the largest human rights case in EU history. They believe the law is modelled after a similar piece of legislation enacted in Russia, which was declared unlawful by the European Court of Human Rights in 2017. In Hungary, bookstores and shops have received hefty fines for depicting blacklisted content after the government started implementing the legislation. The European Commission alleges the legislation violates core EU values on fighting discrimination and upholding human rights while undermining single market rules on services and audiovisual media. Budapest has dismissed the allegations, arguing that the law is meant to protect children and a referendum held on the subject favoured the legislation. If Hungary is found to be at fault by the Court of Justice, it could potentially be ordered to pay a large fine, or such a verdict could even lead to procedures that could suspend the country’s voting rights in EU meetings. Many EU countries have also been angered by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s close relations with Russia and delays in support for Ukraine since Moscow’s invasion of the country nearly three years ago. The EU has other legal proceedings under way against Hungary, including over its “sovereignty” and foreign influence law. Adblock test (Why?)
Opposition’s Abdullahi wins presidential election in breakaway Somaliland
‘Irro’ took over 60 percent of the vote having pledged to push efforts to gain international recognition for the region. Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi, leader of Somaliland’s opposition, has been elected president of the breakaway region of Somalia, according to reports. Abdullahi – also known as Irro – of the Waddani Party received close to 64 percent of the vote, beating the incumbent, President Muse Bihi Abdi of the Kulmiye Party, the Somaliland National Electoral Commission (NEC) said on Tuesday, according to local media and The Associated Press news agency. Voters in Somalia’s breakaway region cast their ballot last week in an election that was delayed for two years due to lack of funding and other reasons. Abdi, who was seeking a second term after seven years in office, trailed badly with about 35 percent of the vote. Both candidates had campaigned promising they would resuscitate an ailing economy and push efforts to gain international recognition for Somaliland. #BREAKING: Somaliland Electoral Commission announces Abdirahman Mohamed Abdullahi “Irro” as the winner of the presidential election with 63.92% of the vote, defeating Muse Bihi, who secured 34.81%. Three political parties—WADANI, KULMIYE, and KAAH—emerge as key players in the… pic.twitter.com/pNlbrIit5I — GAROWE ONLINE (@GaroweOnline) November 19, 2024 Somaliland, which declared independence in 1991 as Somalia descended into conflict, has built a stable political environment, in sharp contrast to Somalia’s security struggles. The self-proclaimed republic sustains its own government, currency and security structures. However, it is not recognised by any country in the world, restricting access to international finance and the ability of its six million people to travel. The government in the capital, Hargeisa, hopes to soon finalise a controversial deal that would grant neighbouring Ethiopia sea access. In return, Addis Ababa would provide an “in-depth assessment” of recognition. The deal aroused fury in Somalia, which views it as a violation of its sovereignty, and prompted fears of conflict. Ethiopia is a major contributor to a peacekeeping force in Somalia, fighting against armed groups there. But the agreement has drawn Somalia closer to Ethiopia’s historical rivals, Egypt and Eritrea. Somaliland is also optimistic that the incoming Trump administration will revisit the United States’s longstanding recognition of Mogadishu’s sovereignty over Somaliland. Several leading US Department of State officials who worked on Africa policy during Republican leader Donald Trump’s first term have publicly voiced support for recognising Somaliland. Adblock test (Why?)
Thousands protest as Maori rights march reaches New Zealand parliament
NewsFeed Tens of thousands of protesters gathered in front of New Zealand’s parliament as a march against proposed changes to Maori rights reached the capital. Al Jazeera’s Adrian Brown was at the scene. Published On 19 Nov 202419 Nov 2024 Adblock test (Why?)
US envoy Amos Hochstein arrives in Lebanon for ceasefire talks
Top Biden administration official visits Beirut hours after the Israeli military strikes the centre of the Lebanese capital. A senior United States envoy is visiting Lebanon for talks on a draft ceasefire proposal between Israel and Hezbollah as both sides continue to trade fire. Amos Hochstein landed in Beirut on Tuesday after Hezbollah and the Lebanese government reacted to the text “in a positive way,” but have “some comments on the content”, Al Jazeera’s Zeina Khodr reported from the Lebanese capital. The administration of US President Joe Biden is making a last-ditch attempt for a truce as fighting between Hezbollah and the Israeli military has escalated. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday pledged to continue to “systematically operate” against Hezbollah even if a ceasefire deal is reached. “This is a nonstarter for Lebanon. They see this as a violation of the country’s sovereignty,” Khodr said. An aide to the Lebanese parliament’s speaker, Nabih Berri, who has been endorsed by the Iran-aligned group to negotiate – told the Reuters news agency on Monday that both the Lebanese government and Hezbollah have agreed to the US proposal that was submitted in writing last week. He declined to outline the comments made by Lebanon on the draft but said they were presented in line with United Nations Security Council Resolution 1701, which was adopted following the last Israel-Hezbollah war in 2006. The resolution calls on Hezbollah to pull back north of the Litani River – about 30km (18.6 miles) from the demarcation line between Lebanon and Israel, the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Lebanese soil and the deployment of the Lebanese army in the south of the country alongside United Nations peacekeepers. According to Khodr: “Lebanon’s message is – we are committed to 1701, nothing more.” During a visit to Beirut in October, Hochstein said commitments to the UN resolution were not enough as it failed to be implemented since its adoption 18 years ago. He called instead for a new enforcement mechanism to be set up. “Statements we hear from Lebanese officials is that there is cautious optimism, but the reality is that there are major sticking points, especially concerning a Western-led committee that the US wants to create to oversee the implementation of UN Resolution 1701 – this is not accepted by Lebanon,” Khodr said. On Tuesday, emergency workers were still recovering bodies from the rubble after the Israeli military’s latest attack on central Beirut that killed at least five people. Hezbollah, meanwhile, launched a missile at Tel Aviv, wounding seven people. “These attacks – as well as Israel’s ongoing ground offensive in southern Lebanon and the continued rocket fire from Hezbollah – are adding to scepticism of the prospects of a real ceasefire,” said Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Beirut. At least 3,516 people have been killed and 14,929 wounded in Israeli attacks in Lebanon since the Gaza war began last October. Israel’s war in Gaza has killed at least 43,922 Palestinians and wounded 103,898 since October 7, 2023. Adblock test (Why?)
At least five people killed in Israeli strikes on Lebanon’s capital
Israeli strikes on densely populated central Beirut have killed at least five people in the third attack in two days in the middle of Lebanon’s capital, the Ministry of Public Health says. “The Israeli enemy strike on Zuqaq al-Blat in Beirut killed five people and injured 24,” a ministry statement said about Monday’s attack. The official National News Agency (NNA) said an apartment near a Shia Muslim place of worship was targeted. The building is located near the parliament, several embassies and a United Nations building. “A hostile drone targeted a residential apartment behind the Husseiniya of Zuqaq al-Blat in the capital Beirut, causing great damage,” the NNA said. The working-class district of Zuqaq al-Blat has welcomed many displaced people who fled Israeli strikes on southern and eastern Lebanon as well as Beirut’s southern suburbs. Al Jazeera’s Ali Hashem, reporting from Beirut, said the area that was hit is “very densely populated” and is packed with cafes. “At the moment, there is no indication who the target is,” Hashem said. The area was cordoned off by security forces as residents rushed to help with the rescue efforts. Monday’s attack took place several hundred metres away from the site of a strike on Sunday in the Mar Elias neighbourhood, which the Health Ministry said killed three people, including a woman. Israel has not commented on the strikes in central Beirut, but Hezbollah has confirmed that one air raid in the area killed its spokesman Mohammad Afif. That strike, also on Sunday, hit the Lebanese office of Syria’s ruling Baath Party, killing Afif and four members of his media team, Hezbollah said. The Health Ministry said seven people were killed in the attack. One killed in northern Israel Meanwhile, a woman was killed and 10 people were wounded on Monday when a rocket struck a building in a northern Israeli town, Israel’s ambulance service said. The rocket hit a multistorey building in the town of Shfaram. The Israeli military said Hezbollah had launched more than 100 projectiles towards Israel on Monday. “Interception attempts were made, and fallen projectiles were identified,” the military said. One such claimed interception left at least four people injured after falling shrapnel hit Ramat Gan, a suburb of Tel Aviv. Earlier on Monday, an Israeli air strike targeted the main water facility in the southern port city of Tyre, killing two local officials and injuring two others. The attack severely damaged the facility, prompting the Tyre municipality to urge residents to ration their water use until repairs could be made, NNA said. Those killed in the attack included Samer Shaghri, a local elected official called a mukhtar, who handles residents’ administrative affairs, and Qassem Wehbi, the deputy mayor of Burj al-Shamali, a town east of Tyre. The strikes were carried out as a United States-backed proposal for a ceasefire between Israel and Hezbollah is set to be discussed. A government minister close to Hezbollah said Lebanon will convey its “positive position” on the proposal this week. Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri, a Hezbollah ally who is mediating for the group, is expected to meet with US envoy Amos Hochstein in Beirut on Tuesday. Labour Minister Mostafa Bayram, who met with Berri on Monday, said Hezbollah’s function “is to make sure the [Israeli] aggression fails to achieve its goals while negotiation is for the state and the government”. Since September 23, Israel has ramped up its air campaign in Lebanon and has sent in ground troops after almost a year of cross-border exchanges following Israel’s assault on Gaza. Lebanese authorities said more than 3,510 people have been killed since Hezbollah and Israel began exchanging fire in October last year. Most of the casualties have been recorded since September. Adblock test (Why?)
Al Jazeera 360 pushes back against Swedish claims film is ‘dangerous’
The team behind an Al Jazeera 360 documentary has rejected claims by the Swedish prime minister that a film about child protection laws in Europe is “dangerous”. The three-part investigative documentary Behind Closed Doors, produced by Al Jazeera 360 – a video-on-demand platform that is part of the Al Jazeera Media Network – follows families from various backgrounds and nationalities who have faced the traumatic experience of having their children forcibly removed by social authorities in Norway, Sweden, Germany and Luxembourg. On November 10, Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson likened the documentary to the so-called LVU campaign, a misinformation campaign that gained traction on social media in 2022 that suggested Swedish authorities were kidnapping children from Muslim families. But Awad Joumaa, head of originals at Al Jazeera 360, said the attacks on the film were “misleading”. “Al Jazeera 360 emphasises that the series was developed to explore a complex social issue affecting families across northern Europe,” a statement from Al Jazeera 360 said. “Behind Closed Doors presents diverse families from various backgrounds and nationalities who have faced the traumatic experience of having their children forcibly removed by social authorities. In some cases, children were not only separated from their parents but were also split up and placed in different cities, leaving parents unaware of their children’s whereabouts and with no access to them.” SVT, Sweden’s national broadcaster, also criticised the documentary, saying that it omitted some details on the cases included in court documents. However, Joumaa said that was misleading, adding that both court documents and the reasons for the child removals were prominently displayed on the screen and that rulings or decisions that contradicted the families’ claims were shown, ensuring that the official perspective was presented alongside the families’ narratives. “This approach provided viewers with both perspectives, allowing them to form their own opinions,” he said. ‘Security consequences’ Swedish authorities declined to participate in the documentary, unlike those in Germany, which provided an official for comment. However, the Swedish reaction to the film has been vocal, with PM Kristersson writing on social media that Behind Closed Doors could be “dangerous for Sweden”. He also told the Swedish newspaper Expressen that it could lead to a heightened threat level against the country. Sofia Bard, who heads the Swedish Institute, which analyses Sweden’s image in the rest of the world, told SVT that the documentary could contribute to a negative image of Sweden and affect the country’s influence internationally. She also stated that it could have “security consequences”, referencing the LVU campaign and the Quran burnings that have occurred in the Nordic nation and led to anti-Sweden protests in several Muslim-majority countries last year. At the time, the Swedish Security Service (SAPO) raised its assessment of the level of threat against Sweden to four on a scale of one to five amid mounting international tension over the burning of copies of the Quran at demonstrations. Joumaa, however, says the Swedish reaction overlooks the film’s depth and the broader issues it seeks to examine. “The assertion that Behind Closed Doors poses a security threat to Sweden seems to be based solely on the opinion of one security analyst, who appears to have made a rapid assessment of the series, which actually spans three parts,” Joumaa said. “This claim overlooks the film’s depth and the broader issues it seeks to explore, focusing instead on a narrow perspective without fully engaging with the content.” He added that the production team made several attempts to involve Swedish authorities, including the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, offering them a chance to present their viewpoint. While the ministry redirected the request to the responsible agency, the Ministry of Social Affairs rejected an interview request and chose not to cooperate. Joumaa added that the documentary did not attempt to influence its audience, and instead presented the evidence and expert opinions, leaving the judgement up to the viewer. “We are simply putting the arguments and the perspective and the issue on the table, and that whole point of free debate has been missed,” he said. To view part one of Behind Closed Doors (in Arabic), click here. Adblock test (Why?)