The Prime Minister argues that ‘New’ Nazis  mustn’t gain a foothold in Norway

Neo-Nazi organizationKristiansand. Neo-Nazi organization marching in Kristiansand.Photo : Tor Erik Schrøder / NTB scanpix

The Prime Minister,  Erna Solberg, said that the neo-Nazi organization which demonstrated in Kristiansand on Saturday, mustn’t be allowed to gain a foothold in Norway, but she wouldn’t criticise the police’s efforts, which included allowing the prohibited march to take place illegally.

 

‘We must make sure that the organisation, whose membership have  primarily Swedish backgrounds,
don’t become established in Norway, and make sure that they don’t recruit Norwegian youth,’  the Prime
Minister told TV 2.

Solberg ended  election campaigning in southern and western Norway on Tuesday with a visit to Kristiansand.


On Saturday,  60 to 70 far-right-wing supporters marched the city’s streets without gaining an application for permission to do so. The police were present, but apart from ejecting a few people, they found no cause, including that of illegality, to intervene further.

Several people have criticised the police for failing to intervene, but the police have rejected all criticism,
and believe they acted in the best possible way.

On Monday, it came out that the police in Agder had said no to assistance from the Eastern Police District during the March. Solberg believes that it’s the public servants, the police themselves, who must autonomously consider how to handle  the march, regardless of what the public whom they serve think of the matter.

‘The police’s job is to prevent violence and turmoil, so the Kristiansand Police Chamber assessed whether
it was right,’ said Solberg.

She believes that the environment which creates extremism must be combated.

‘We have made an action plan against religious extremism, and it is also about this kind of extremism,’ said Solberg.

She made no comment about whether her government will support future allowance for, and protection of,  illegal activity in other areas, such as theft, enjoyment of and sale of narcotics, failure to repay loans, bank robbery etc., so long as it doesn’t involve ‘violence and turmoil’.

© NTB Scanpix / Norway Today