Sweden bans Christmas lights on state-owned poles

‘Unlike previous years, there will be no Christmas lights in many Swedish towns this Christmas, reports SVT. Formally the new ban is because of “security reasons”.
The Swedish Transport Administration (Trafikverket) will stop allowing municipalities to put up their Christmas lights on light poles that the authority manages, and in many small towns, it means that the central streets actually do not get any Christmas lights at all.
The change is a victory for those who want to tone down the reminder of the country’s Christian traditions, but according to the Swedish Transport Administration, the decision for the drastic change is “security”.’
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