It had been billed as the worlds ‘first major music festival for women, non-binary and transgender’ people.

However, a man-free music festival in Sweden has now been found guilty of discrimination.

Men were allowed to buy tickets to the event but many – including technicians, managers and artists’ entourages – were restricted to a ‘man pen’ in a backstage area.

The Statement Festival in Sweden has been found guilty of discrimination (Picture: AFP)

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The event, called Statement, was held in the city of Gothenburg, but the country’s discrimination ombudsman said it was illegal.


Spokesman Clas Lundstedt said: ‘It is important to point out what an infringement is. These are the statements made before the festival, what they wrote on their website.



‘Still, we haven’t been able to prove that someone would have been discriminated against in connection with the implementation or that someone would have been rejected.’

The festival’s organisers hit back saying they were too busy changing the world to comment.

They wrote on Facebook: Hi, Ombudsman!

‘We are aware of your decision and we think it’s sad that 5,000 women, non-binary [someone who identifies as neither male nor female] and transgender witnessed at a life-changing festival experience, a few cis men [someone whose gender identity matches their anatomical birth gender] get caught up.

The event was held in Gothenburg for women, non-binary and transgender people (Picture: AFP)

‘The success of the Statement Festival shows that we needed it and the decision did not change that fact.

‘Otherwise, we have no comments – we are busy changing the world.’

The festival was organised by Swedish comedian Emma Knyckare in response to rape and sexual assault claims at festivals. It received 3,000 pledges totalling £48,060 to make the festival happen.

She suggested the idea after it emerged there were allegedly four rapes and 23 sexual assaults that took place at Sweden’s biggest music festival Bravalla in June 2017.

The festival, which featured big acts including the Killers, Linkin Park and Travis Scott, has now been cancelled for next year.

In 2016, there were five rapes and 12 sexual assaults reported at the Bråvalla festival.

Festival owners claim these incidents had a big effect on ticket sales this year, which went from 52,000 in 2016 to 45,000 tickets this year.

Lundstedt added: ‘Clearly, we believe that sexual abuse, especially at festivals, is a serious problem. So we are looking forward to trying to correct this. However, it shouldn’t happen in a way that violates the law, which their statements in the media and their website do.’

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