The American rapper A$AP Rocky is currently awaiting a verdict in Swedish court for an alleged assault—a case in which President Donald Trump attempted to intervene. Rocky was arrested after TMZ posted a video showing the rapper beating up two men (Rocky says he was defending himself). Responding to reports that Rocky was being treated poorly in Swedish custody, the State Department and then Trump himself reached out to Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven to talk about the situation, with the aim of convincing Löfven to release Rocky.
“I will explain that the Swedish judicial system is independent,” the prime minister reportedly said before speaking with Trump. “In Sweden, everyone is equal before the law, and this includes visitors from other countries.”
To help the president understand that the Swedish prime minister can’t comment in an individual case or meddle in an ongoing investigation, two Swedish designers have created a simple graphic to clarify how the Swedish criminal justice system works in the most Swedish way possible: an Ikea instruction manual.
Called “The $wedish Justice System: Presidential Edition,” the fake Ikea manual lays out the cast of characters, which includes Rocky, Trump, Löfven, and Kanye West (who along with his wife Kim Kardashian West lobbied the President’s son-in-law Jared Kushner to convince Trump to step in). A series of graphics explains that the country doesn’t have bail, that calling the prime minister won’t make a difference, and that in Sweden, everyone is equal before the law. All of the classic Ikea line figures that represent Trump have a shocking mop of orange hair.
The manual, which is available on the website Swedenvstrump.com, was designed by Oscar Gierup, an art director at the advertising agency McCann New York, and Hampus Elfström, a copywriter at the advertising company Forsman & Bodenfors. Neither has ever worked for Ikea.
Perhaps the sassiest part of the manual reminds Trump that Swedes can’t stand him. “Sorry, but Sweden doesn’t care about you, your tweets or your attacks,” the graphic reads. “In fact, only 10% of the Swedish population likes you. But maybe that makes us one of those shithole countries?”
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