Women take fall in scandal shaking faith in Nobels

STOCKHOLM -- Thousands of protesters called Thursday for the resignation of the secretive board awarding the Nobel Prize in Literature after a sex-abuse scandal linked to the prestigious Swedish academy forced the ouster of its first-ever woman head and tarnished the reputation of the coveted prize.

The ugly internal feud has already reached the top levels of public life in the Scandinavian nation known for its promotion of gender equality, with the prime minister, the king and the Nobel board weighing in.

Thursday evening thousands of protesters gathered on Stockholm's picturesque Stortorget Square outside the headquarters of the Swedish Academy, which has awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature since 1901, to demand all of its remaining members resign. Parallel demonstrations were planned in other areas.

The national protests have grown out of what began as Sweden's own #MeToo moment in November when the country saw thousands of sexual misconduct allegations surfacing from all walks of life. It hit the academy when 18 women came forward with accusations against Jean-Claude Arnault, a major cultural figure in Sweden who is married to Katarina Frostenson, a poet who is a member of the academy.

Police are investigating the allegations, which Arnault denies, but the case has exposed bitter divisions within the academy, whose members are appointed for life, and given rise to accusations of patriarchal leanings among some members.

The turmoil began when some of the committee's 18 members pushed for the removal of Frostenson after the allegations were levied against her husband, who runs a cultural club receiving money from the academy. In addition to sexual misconduct, Arnault is also accused of leaking Nobel winners' names for years.

After a closed-door vote failed to oust her, three male members behind the push -- Klas Ostergren, Kjell Espmark and Peter Englund -- themselves resigned. That prompted Horace Engdahl, a committee member who has supported Arnault, to label them a "clique of sore losers" and criticize the three for airing their case in public.

He also lashed out at Sara Danius, the first woman to lead the Swedish Academy, who was forced out last week amid criticism from male members of her handling of the scandal. Danius, a Swedish literature historian at Stockholm University, had cut the academy's ties with Arnault and hired investigators to examine its relationship to the club he ran with Frostenson. Their report is expected soon.

Supporters of Danius have described her as a progressive leader who pushed reforms that riled the old guard.

Birgitta Hojlund, 70, who traveled several hours to attend the protest, said despite Sweden's progressive image, women still face inequality. "There are still differences, in wages and in honors and in professions," she said, calling for the Swedish academy to be "recreated from the bottom, and balance male and female."

"They're pushing women away, saying that sexism is OK, in this academy," agreed Torun Carrfors, a 31-year-old nurse. "They should leave, and we need to have new ones."

Last week, Frostenson announced she too was leaving the academy. On Thursday, a sixth member, writer Lotta Lotass, said she, was also planning to step down, citing backlash from tradition-minded male members of the board who questioned her credentials, the Dagens Nyheter newspaper reported.

The departures of the highly respected women have given rise to a flurry of protests on social media.