WORKERS COMMUNIST PARTY

(Marxist-Leninists)

“If we had gotten into power in Norway – what would have happened? A very hypothetical question – but I am convinced that it would have resulted in a dictatorship with GULAG as one of the results. Even though the party consisted of honourable people, absolute power would have lead to terror and suppression”

-     Ulf Larsen, former AKP-member

“The Cambodian communists are autonomous, create their own politics and bold solutions…I see these methods as fundamentally right and Marxist.”

-     Tron Øgrim, presently member of AKP

“If one does not regret cheering on a regime which murdered 60 million human beings – how does the inside of ones head look like then?”

-     Per Ahlmark, writer and former MP, Sweden

AKP – the genocide program

 In the 1970ies thousands of Norwegian youngsters unified in saluting the worst genociders the world has seen. AKP (ml) - "Arbeidernes Kommunistiske Party, Marxist-leninistene" (Workers Communist Party, Marxist-leninists), erected as SUF-ml, had despite its name few workers in its ranks. The vast majority was made up by children of the economic and intellectual upper classes. However, self proletarization is a fast process, and after four weeks behind the wheel of a forklift, the central AKP-member Tron Øgrim could title himself as "brewery worker".

From day one genocide was a part of the program of AKP. Capitalists and contra-revolutionaries were to be executed. In AKPs own program this is referred as "The party is prepared to use violence". It was outlined that the traitors of the working class that was to be executed very well could be your own family members. Party-organs wrote articles about how one should acquire pump action shotguns before the registration of such sale was initiated in Norway. In debate between AKP-supporters and those not supporting them one could often hear an academic discussion being ended with the words: "people like you will be found gutted after the revolution". AKP`s pseudo secret and detailed plans for how the revolution would take place contained information from surveillance and operational views down to lower tactical level. Army installations, people representing the authorities and even the regular communists, NKP, was under surveillance and photographed so that the death lists would be ready for the genocide under and after the revolution AKP hoped would take place in Norway around 1985. The romantic relation to violence and hostility towards the government showed to be on certain conditions. In 1979 an army sergeant trainee and right wing USA-supporter threw an explosive device into a May Day demonstration. Few hours later AKPs representatives attended meetings with the POT, the Norwegian secret police. The co-operation with POT, who according to all logic should have been enemies of the revolutionary AKP, continued for years to come under the management of Finn Sjue, commonly referred to as “the most powerful communist in Norway”. This co-operation led to several sting operations and verdicts against right wing activists and anti-immigration agitators. The contempt for human life stained also this part of the AKP activities, at one time Sjue and POT-director at the time, Erstad, sent an AKP-agent on to a public bus carrying 2.3 kilos of dynamite that had been stored outside and was regarded as highly unstable. The bus was full of Christmas travellers going from the City Skien, to the city of Arendal. AKP and POT also had close relations in the surveilancing of NKP (Norwegian Communist Party). The Norwegian law prohibits the founding, support and activities of organizations like AKP (§104 – criminal legislation). However, this law was never used against AKP, in spite of being used against teenagers with swastika banners and Muslim priests on later occasions.

The genociders Mao (35 million), Lenin (60 million), Stalin (40 million) and Pol Pot was among the people cheered and saluted by the AKP, and according to Marxist tradition, not the party AKP nor its members have declined or showed any kind of regret for supporting mass murderers. The present of the Norwegian nationwide workers union – LO – funding a large part of the biggest party in Norwegian parliament, labour – was active in a related organization considered to be more radical than AKP. As late as 1980, the now powerful LO president, Gerd Liv Valla, voted for excluding all members of her organization who did not agree with Josef Stalin’s methods of eradicating his resistors and unwanted citizens. AKP was a major factor in propagandizing for the ANC in the 80ies and 90ies.

AKP and Cambodia

 The support for Mao, Lenin and Stalin was important and prideful for AKP. But the support for Khmer Rouge (KR) was even more fanatic and central in their existence. AKP supported KR from 1970 and onwards. When KR seized Phnom Penh in April of 1975, the AKP newspaper “Klassekampen” (Class war) cheered the event with the front page headline “Long live the free Cambodia!”. Reports and pictures of blood bath, rape and concentration camps were later that year labelled as “grotesque lies” and “forgery” by the same newspaper.

- Pål Steigan, president of AKP, displays the Marxist paradise in Cambodia. An honourable man?           

 In April of 1976 AKP regarded Pol Pots victory as “a piece of world history” and found the victory to “open a new chapter in the history of the liberation of peoples”. How close the relationship was between AKP and the Khmer Rouge was publicly known in the fall of 1978, when the Norwegian AKP-delegation consisting of Sveinung Mjelde, Elisabeth Eide, Tron Øgrim and Pål Steigan visited Cambodia. In spite of evidence of mass murder and genocide AKP continued their support for Khmer Rouge.

-          Pål Steigan shakes hand with the Hitler of the east, Pol Pot.

During this visit to Cambodia the AKP-delegation travelled around the country with representatives of the Khmer Rouge. The delegation had several meetings with the Cambodian minister of foreign affairs, Ieng Sary and enjoyed conversations with Pol Pot.

AKP today – power or decimation?

Today AKP is decimated as organization. The shotguns and explosives have been, maybe temporarily, substituted by newspapers, publishing and organization of strikes. There exists an ongoing debate on what remains of the once disturbingly wide network of genocide-supporting revolutionaries. Sources CONFLICT has been in contact with inside the AKP tells a story about revolutionary cells becoming so integrated in society that they never return. However, independently of the formal network there is good reason to doubt that the comradeship and loyalty to the revolution has decreased. The amount of people currently enjoying membership has decreased greatly, but the hard core of the party seems to have manoeuvred themselves into key positions in Norwegian society. In 1996, the far-right newspaper “Fritt Forum” (Free Forum) published an organization overview of the AKP (this overview will be published by CONFLICT on a later date). The FF-article was referred to as “dangerously accurate” in AKPs own internal counter-intelligence report a few years ago. AKP stills run for parliament under the name “Rød Valgallianse” (Red Elector alliance), in addition to holding some key positions in the parties SV (socialist left) and Arbeiderpartiet (labour-party – the largest in Norway). The Norwegian society has never seen the problem when they assign former or current members of AKP to positions like editors or ministers. For those who experienced the genocides in Russia, China and Cambodia, this must feel like having Josef Terboven (German commander in Norway during WWII – responsible for among other things executions and torture) as minister of justice. AKP has on numerous occasions been asked to open its classified archives to help sort out who is a member, and who is not. This has been declined on several occasions, including in court where AKP members have sued writers and journalists referring to their genocide-relations.

The workers union, a powerful organization in Norway, has been deeply infiltrated by AKP, in particular Elevator technicians union and “Postens fagforening” (Mail workers union). During the 90ies “Posten” (the equivalent to US. mail in America) preformed a hunt down of members having sympathy for anti-immigration activists. This was done with the consulting services of an AKP-member by the name of Brygdfjell. A dozen workers were excluded from the union and lost their jobs following these political investigations.

The following is a list of persons in key positions in Norway connected to, or associated with, AKP. Some titles is outdated, but are included as they illustrate what levels the influence of AKP has reached, more titles may be present for one person for the same reasons. The list is far from complete:

Jan Bøhler – political advisor, Arbeiderpartiet

Sæmund Fiskvik - GRAMO

Sverre Knutsen - historian og 1. amanuensis in BI (academy of trade).

Bjørulv Froyn - leader, Oslo Arbeiderparti

Jens Hoel – Union leader, LO (national organisation which unites worker-unions - a powerful organisation in Norway)

Stein Kristiansen – assistant director, Union of trade.

Herman Kristoffersen - Mayor, Tromsø

Sigmund Lieberg – director, National Centre of teaching-material (manly schoolbooks)

Bjørn Nilsen - journalist

Erling Steen - advisor, Department of social and health

Terje Rød-Larsen, special executive, UN, diplomat

Erling Folkvord, member of parliament, RV, member of city council, Oslo.

Torstein Dahle, economist

Kjersti Ericcson - 1. amanuensis, criminology, University of Oslo

Roar Hagen - sosiolog, Tromsø

Torstein Hjellum – political scientist, Bergen

Egil Drillo Olsen – soccer”guru”, national team manager

Hanne Müller - social-anthropologist, Bergen

Jan Wright – director of environment and quality control, NSB (Norwegian railroads)

Per Østvold - leder, Teamsters

Guri Ingebrigtsen – Minister of socialdepartment

Gerd Liv Valla – Minister of Justice, Leader of LO( Was a member of Communistic university union – more extreme than AKP)

Sigurd Allern - media-research, Professor of Journalism

Frøydis Armand - actor

Per Bangsrud - editor, Tiden publishing-house

Per Bjarne Boym - director, museeum of modern art

Toril Brekke - writer

Erik Fosse – head of department, Rikshospitalet

Jorunn Gulbrandsen - schoolbook-writer

Anders Heger - director, Cappelen publishing-house

Otto Jespersen – ”comedian”

Sverre Knutsen - historian, BI (trade academy)

Gert Nygårdshaug - writer

Tor Obrestad - writer

Thorvald Steen - writer

Pål Steigan – editor, writer

Rita Westvik – NRK (national media, radio&TV), advisor,

Steinar Stjernø - Principal Høyskolen i Oslo

Oddmund Søilen - director Universitetet i Bergen

Terje Tvedt - historian, Bergen

Geir Mork – director, Gyldendal publishing-house

Hilde Haugsgjerd - leader, Dagbladet

Elisabeth Eide - 1.amanuensis, education of journalists, Oslo

Rune Ottosen – professor of journalism, Oslo

Roald Helgheim - journalist, Dag og Tid

Jon Michelet - editor, Klassekampen, writer

Ove Monsen – production editor, Dagbladet

Olav Mugaas - director, Aftenposten

Finn Sjue - journalist, teacher

Alf Skjeseth - journalist, NTB (Norwegian Newsnetwork)

Bjørn Westlie - journalist, Dagens Næringsliv

Helge Øgrim - journalist, NTB

Trond Øgrim, writer

Tuva Gry Øyan - freelancejournalist, Dagsavisen

Knut Olsen - journalist, NRK

Sources: Own research, ”Vänstern og tyranniet” and ”Det öppna såret” - Per Ahlmark, ”Tyranniet begär förtroende” -  Herbert Tingsten, TV2