In recent days, there has been a storm surrounding the new Red Youth leader Amrit Kaur.
In a TikTok video, which was later deleted, Kaur attacked Ap leader Jonas Gahr Store, NATO chief Jens Stoltenberg and Oil Fund chief Nicolai Tangen and called them terrorists in the same breath as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The move was intended as criticism of the oil fund’s investments in arms companies with agreements with Israel.
Also read: Amrit Kaur escapes fine after arrest
The wording and claims received massive criticism – including from Rød’s management and politicians in Rød’s parliamentary group. In front of Nettavisen, AUF leader Astrid Hoem reacted strongly to the statements.
I podkasten Mímir & Marsdal Kaur is now speaking out about the uproar that has characterized Norwegian newspaper front pages recently.
– What perhaps hit me the hardest was seeing so many AUF-ers not only being hurt and disappointed by me, but I realized how reckless it was of me, says the RU leader.
Aftenposten featured the podcast first.
“Shit, now I’ve stepped completely wrong”
Kaur then refers to AUF’s Savannah Svebakk-Bøhn, as in a article in Drammens Tidende reacted strongly to the statements of the RU leader.
Svebakk-Bøhn lost her older sister Sharidyn Svebakk-Bøhn on Utøya in 2011. 77 people were killed in two terrorist attacks against the government quarter and AUF’s youth camp on Utøya
– I was very surprised when I heard about the statements, and incredibly hurt. Her statements show that we have managed to forget what happened on 22 July 13 years ago, and what extent it had, Svebakk-Bøhn told DT.
Also read: Amrit Kaur resigns from local political office
Kaur says that this affected her.
– I realized that “shit, now I’ve stepped completely wrong”. Not only was it really bad for all those who are relatives and victims of the terrorist attack in 2011, but in a way it became the main discussion, and I took attention away from Palestine and Gaza. My intention was to talk more about it. It was wrongly said and reckless, she says.
– There was so much mess
Kaur also takes self-criticism for how she and the youth party subsequently communicated after she apologized.
Secretary General of RU, Syver Kleve Kolstad, came out in a new TikTok video and defended Kaur. He believed that it was wrong to use 22 July as a counter-argument against people who criticize Støre.
– There is no doubt that Støre supports terrorism, Kolstad said in the video.
Also read: Amrit Kaur has deleted the video: – Very stupid of me
Kaur says that Kolstad’s statements were not clarified with her in advance, and that she strongly distances herself from them.
– There was a lot of mess. I was so stressed. I just wanted to move out into a cabin in the woods. Because there was a poor flow of information at our centre. Suddenly there was an article about it, and then someone said that. I felt that I had no overview at all, she says.
Rødt politician and podcast host Mímir Kristjánsson was also one of those who came out hard against Kaur’s statements. You can read more about that here.