Norway: Siltanews – News Desk
Norwegians riding public transportation to 17th of May celebrations in the Oslo area over the weekend got a bit of a shock on the way: Metro cars were plastered with advertising calling for a halt to more public support for Ukraine, prompting one top politician to equate the ads to “Russian propaganda.”
The advertising specifically objects to how the Norwegian Parliament has approved spending NOK 85 billion on what the small new Partiet Fred og rettferdighet – FOR (“The Party (for) Peace and justice”) calls “war in Ukraine.” The ads call for peace talks instead, and urge Norwegian politicians to rather spend such large amounts of money on more social welfare programs for Norwegians.
Many metro riders were offended by FOR’s message, though, especially on the biggest national holiday of the year in Norway that celebrates the country’s constitution and democracy. Surveys have shown how a vast majority of Norwegians favour both military and humanitarian support for Ukraine, since it was invaded by Russia more than three years ago. Norway has also taken in tens of thousands of Ukrainian refugees, and a major increase in the government’s funding proposals for Ukraine recently won unanimous support in Parliament.
That’s why reaction to FOR’s advertising has been highly negative. “I think it’s distasteful to say ‘no’ to support for Ukraine and plaster that message up on the metro today,” said one offended Norwegian tipping newspaper Aftenposten to the ads. “There are Ukrainians here who are celebrating the 17th of May and freedom.”
Mathilde Tybring-Gjedde, a Member of Parliament for the Conservative Party, used social media to criticize the ad campaign and told Aftenposten how it misses the point, because there won’t be peace in Ukraine if support doesn’t continue.
“This is Russian propaganda,” Tybring-Gjedde told Aftenposten, “and I get really mad when hundreds of Ukrainian children who have fled to Norway have to see this message on the way to their parade.” She acknowledged the FOR’s right to free speech and doesn’t think the campaign should have banned, but she and many others want to know where the party’s money for such is campaign is coming from.
By Monday questions were also flying after newspaper VG reported that the party was registered just a few months ago, in January, and claimed it only had NOK 50,000 (USD 5,000) in its treasury. The ad campaign itself is estimated to cost around NOK 1.4 million for one week, prompting the state commission in charge of enforcing campaign regulations to announce a probe into FOR’s funding after receiving several inquiries.