Norway Right Extremism rising

Membership of Norwegian Right Extremist organisations is increasing despite Anders Behring Breivik’s acts of terror.

Exactly one week following Breivik’s attacks, the PST issued an update threat assessment about Right-Wing extremists, stating, “Norwegian Right-Wing Extremists have not been very active in the last years. The environments are characterised by an absence of strong leader figures and lacking in organisational abilities.”

“Some individuals have had contact with like-minded people in Europe, but this does not appear as though it has had a significant effect on activity in the environment here. [...] The threat from Right-Wing extremist environments in Norway has not altered following the acts of terror. They could weaken recruitment to these further.”

Contradictory

Kari Helene Partapuoli, head of NGO the Norwegian Centre against Racism, says she thought this would be the case, but tells The Foreigner, “For some sick reason, it’s now going up.”

“People who used to be active are now inspired. The organisations are hell-bent on surviving. Some people say ‘we hate what he did, but he’s not going to ruin it for us’, using arguments about freedom of speech,” she continues.

Press spokesperson for the Norwegian Defence League (NDL), Ronny Alte, says to Klassekampen, “We had approximately 900 members up until 22 July. Many resigned in the days following [these acts] days but lately, the average daily increase is now larger than before.”

He alleges the NDL, a sister organisation to the European Defence League, currently has 1,233 subscribers to its private Facebook group. Several candidates for next month’s local elections from Progress (FrP), the Conservatives (H), minority Right-Wing Christian Coalition Party and Centrists the Democratic Party, as well as Labour (Ap), are NDL members.

Membership is also growing in another Norwegian Right Extremist group with international links, Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN). Police are currently investigating whether Anders Behring Breivik had any connections with these two organisations.

Three monkeys?

The Police Security Service (PST) has come under heavy criticism since mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik struck.

In the days following Breivik’s twin massacres, the PST remained silent, claiming this was because it had nothing to report.

According to Ms Partapuoli, “There has also been a debate that the PST has paid too little attention to reviewing right-wing extremist and anti-jihadist movements in Norway since 22 July.”

There was even a meeting between the Centre and the PST last year, but “we didn’t get very much out of it,” she says.

Nevertheless, security officials have now asked for help. Klassekampen reports her organisation will contribute with knowledge sharing.

“We see some tendencies and have contacts at grass root level which pick up information that a large and established organisation may oversee.”

“I also hope there will now be more communication between our two organisations as part of an extended outreach policy by the PST,” she tells The Foreigner.

Source: http://theforeigner.no/pages/news/norway-right-extremism-rising/