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SOS-racism

On paper SOS-racism is a non-violent antiracist organisation. However, the organisation has during the last decades been dominated by members belonging to ideologies with traditions containing mass graves and concentration camps. The contempt for human life and other people’s integrity has surfaced on several occasions over the last 15 years. Members of SOS-racism have been observed in riots in Oslo in which both police officers and political opponents have been seriously wounded.

-         Karl Ivar Haug Halvorsen, former commander of school operations in SOS-racism using his fist to display tolerance towards law enforcement officers from the police district of Oslo while wearing full skinheadgear..

SOS-racism has during the last years developed an increasingly anti-Semite style and its members has openly spread lies and hate directed at the state of Israel. SOS-racism has also taken over the memorial march celebrating the crystal-night (9.november). in Norway and is trying to mold that day into some sort of alibi for acts of violence. On the 9. of November 2004 that strategy was revealed as youth from SOS-racism armed with clubs ran several jews who wanted to take part in the march out of town. Several of the jews were wearing traditional jewish hats and scarves used when paying, among them survivors of the Holocaust. During the following weeks SOS-racism presented a jewish conspiracy theory to explain their actions on the fatal night, however it was clear to anyone who watched the newscast from Norway’s second largest network that SOS-racism only wanted people who support their politics in the streets that night – jewish or not.

This kind of sympathy for terrorism and genocide has long been very visible in the demonstrations organized by SOS-racism – demonstrations without exception including PLO-flags and arab scarves used by Hezbollah. In a statement to the press made by the “ Det Mosaiske Trossafunn (DMT)” - the jewish religious society in Norway by its leader Rolf Kischner it is stated:

DMT was invited to the demonstration, but declined. This has to do with our scepticism towards the development over the last years when it comes to this demonstration. We feel that the demonstration, from our point of view, has developed into a political manifestation which is not within the original intention. For us who survived and the relatives of those who survived the outrageous crimes of the Nazis it is terrible to see that forces which to a great extent uses the same arguments against jews that the Nazis and fascists did, is invited to such an demonstration.

 To clarify even further: The crystal night was the start of the Nazi’s prosecution of the jews in Europe and the actions this night was to great extent directed towards jewish shops and institutions. Today we see groups on the far left in the political landscape, together with certain muslim groups (we hope they are not representative) use the same kind of means. Jewish schools, senior homes, cemeteries and community centres are attacked all over Europe in addition to Israeli embassies and consuls. In Norway we have also had those kinds of attacks, and it is generally speaking the same kind of people who is behind these attacks in Norway as in the rest of Europe. For us as jews it is impossible to take part in a manifestation against racism when other participants are carrying posters that in Arabic states clear racist messages.

This is however, not the first attack in violation with SOS-racisms claimed intention; increased tolerance. On numerous occasions SOS-racism members attacked senior citizens opposing their views.

CONFLICT has published a photo-series from TV2 which displays the mentioned Karl I. Haug Halvorsen (yellow) hitting the senior citizen and politician Mogens Glistrup in the head with a red flag and another sos-racism member (blue) hitting him in the face and showing his elderly wife into a hedge. You can view the pictures by clicking HERE.

SOS-racism is run by funding from the Norwegian government and has in internal discussions in the organization been accused of being infiltrated by the Workers Communist Party.. On two separate occations important members has been thrown out of the organization due to embezzlement.