Out in the open air from a smooth cell in Oslo’s summery spring weather, Rød Ungdom leader Amrit Kaur looks into a mobile camera lens and calls the country’s prime minister (in addition to NATO’s secretary general and the head of the oil fund) terrorists.
Kaur was arrested on Friday after demonstrating outside Norges Bank.
She and others believe the oil fund, the parliamentary majority and the Støre government are not doing enough to stop Israel’s warfare on the Gaza Strip.
You may remember the strong condemnation of Sylvi Listhaug’s famous Facebook post in 2018?
The post showed uniformed, presumably Somali, soldiers accompanied by the text: “Ap believes the terrorists’ rights are more important than the nation’s security. Like and share.”.
Do you remember who put forward the no-confidence motion against Listhaug, which in practice meant that she had to resign after 11 days of intense storm and criticism?
It was then Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes.
On the same day that Listhaug posted the post, the first cinema film about the terrorist attack on 22 July 2011 was premiered.
The post triggered strong emotions and fury far beyond the Labor Party. Labor leader Jonas Gahr Støre accused Listhaug of fueling the hatred that caused the mass murder by Anders Behring Breivik in 2011.
On the same day that terrorist suspect Arfan Bhatti lands on Norwegian soil and is escorted to prison, it is Rødt’s own youth leader who calls Jonas Gahr Støre a terrorist.
It creates an untenable situation for Red.
Jonas Gahr Støre has been elected by the national meeting of the Labor Party to lead the party. He has the confidence of the country’s national assembly to lead Norway’s government. He fights for his political views through legal, democratic channels.
It’s not terrorism, it’s democracy.
RU leader Amrit Kaur calls Støre and Stoltenberg terrorists after demonstrating outside Norges Bank.
It is legitimate to criticize him and his government’s efforts in the Middle East. Such a debate is littered with today’s extreme formulation.
Kaur has not only been elected by the national meeting of Red Youth to lead a youth party organisation. Through this, she is a full member of Rødt’s central board, and she attends the group meetings of a parliamentary party.
She has power and responsibility and must be aware of it.
She has freedom of speech, but also a responsibility to speak, which was the tone after precisely a politically motivated terrorist attack on Norwegian soil.
Rødt’s current manager cannot do anything but strongly distance himself and demand an apology.
Marie Sneve Martinussen is clear about that.
My pleasure.
Kaur’s already controversial political profile could quickly become a devastating problem for the entire Red.
It’s important to sort out what today’s TikTok video is and isn’t.
A politician can and should occasionally sharpen the message, but not in a way that destroys a debate.
A youth politician can be rebellious and impatient, but not by having a form and content without respect for democracy.
Red will still believe that the government is doing too little to stop Israel’s bombing, and is using all political and economic instruments too little to make it happen.
Then it is incomprehensible that it is Rødt’s own people who derail that debate completely.
Saturday portrait of Armit Kaur from April.
Published 03/05/2024, at 23.03 Updated 04.05.2024, at 14.28