– The person concerned is currently charged with having intentionally or grossly negligently publicly presented a discriminatory or hateful statement, including also through the use of symbols, writes investigative leader Geir Aa. Willadsen in an email to news. He adds that the case is in an early phase, so the police do not want to comment on it further. Østfold College itself notified the police after they received reports of concern about one of its students, a man from Iran. The college was notified by both students, staff and external parties at the weekend. The student is now under investigation following statements on social media. According to Khrono, who first wrote about the case, Østfold University College has not decided whether the case will have any consequences for the student. – As a state educational institution, it is difficult for us to go in and make assessments of whether this is hateful speech or whether it is within what we must consider to be acceptable within freedom of expression, says headmaster Lars-Petter Jelsness-Jørgensen to news. – We felt that this case had become too complicated and consulted with the police. Nazi salute and image of Hitler news has gained access to several images and videos the student is said to have posted on social media. In one still, he poses with his arm raised in front of a Nazi flag and a portrait of Adolf Hitler. In a video, the student speaks disparagingly of women and swears crudely. In another video, he apologizes for his own statements. The statements are said to have come in connection with the demonstrations in Iran. A wave of demonstrations and protests has swept over the country after Mahsa Amini (22) died after she was arrested by the morality police in September. The 22-year-old was accused of breaking the strict dress code for women. The student’s defender, Torgeir Røinås Pedersen, tells Khrono that his client believes he has done nothing criminal and does not recognize himself in the charge. School has crisis team Rector Jelsness-Jørgensen at Østfold University College says the school has taken simple measures in connection with the case. – We have a close dialogue with our so-called crisis team on a daily basis, where several of the central managers and lawyers sit. This is the daily follow-up we have – dialogue with the professional environment and the employees. – We now assess that there is no specific threat to either named employees or students. The college has not been in direct dialogue with the student.
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