She is under treatment

Swedish minister has extreme banana phobia

Paulina Brandberg is a strong woman in Swedish politics - only the sight of bananas gives her pause.

(Bild: Krone KREATIV/stock.adobe.com/haitaucher39, APA/AFP/TT News Agency/Caisa )

A minister's bizarre phobia is currently making headlines in Sweden. Equality Minister Paulina Brandberg has an extreme fear of bananas. Her staff make every effort to keep their surroundings free of the fruit. According to her own statements, she has already sought "professional help" for this. 

Irrational fears can make a person's life very difficult - especially if you are a politician in the public spotlight. It has now been revealed that Brandberg has an unusual phobia of bananas. According to the Swedish newspaper "Expressen", this can even take on extreme proportions. 

Crossed-out banana in front of meeting room
Her staff make sure that the minister is not confronted with the fruit wherever possible. An email from employees informed them of the aversion: "Ms. Brandberg has a severe allergy to bananas, so it would be appreciated if there were no bananas in the areas where she will be present," the newspaper quotes. Her employees have also put a sign on the door of a meeting room showing a crossed-out banana. These measures are often justified by the politician's "allergy". 

Head of government Ulf Kristersson supports the politician after the media fuss about her unusual phobia.

(Bild: AFP/Jonathan NACKSTRAND)

 Head of government has great respect for people with phobias
"You could say it's an allergy," Brandenberg told the newspaper when asked about it. She had therefore also sought "professional help". Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson backed her up and explained that he had great respect for people with phobias. "I am worried when a hard-working minister is almost reduced to a phobia."

Political opponent declares bananas a "common enemy"
In the past, Brandenberg herself had made her phobia an issue: in 2020, she shared her suffering in a post on X- but this post was deleted. Unexpected support has also come from political rivals. Social Democrat Teresa Carvalho wrote on X: "We have been through many tough negotiations about the conditions in working life. But in this case, we are standing together against a common enemy", apparently referring to bananas.