– Both I and several people I know have received messages or inquiries that have been reacted to or that have aroused suspicion, says second deputy leader of Unge Høyre Nicolai Østeby. On Tuesday, the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) went out and warned youth politicians that they are attractive to foreign intelligence. news has spoken to several youth politicians who say they have experienced receiving inquiries they suspect may be from foreign intelligence. Østeby says that some classic danger signals they need to be aware of can be suspicious messages or that people seek them out in nightclubs. – It is difficult to say how widespread it really is. There are probably many cases we don’t know about. Østeby also sits on the municipal council in Kristiansand, where he is currently on summer vacation. Photo: Tom-Richard Hanssen Olsen / news It is difficult to know what is what – When PST says that we can be used by foreign intelligence, we must take it very seriously, says leader of Green Youth Tobias Stokkeland. He says that anything they may find suspicious is forwarded to PST. But it can be difficult to know what are actually good intentions, and what could be foreign intelligence, according to the youth party leader. – It is not necessarily always very obvious. You have to be extra careful about that. Tobias Stokkeland believes it is important that young politicians receive enough training in how foreign intelligence works. Photo: Tom Nicolai Kolstad / news Talent Scouting The reason why foreign intelligence may be interested in youth politicians is because they can eventually get into important positions, according to PST. Olav Rognlid, section leader for the protection of government officials in PST, says that foreign intelligence conducts a kind of talent scouting among young Norwegian politicians. – You see individuals who can be interesting, who you see will grow up in the political environment and who you see will eventually get into a position, said Rognlid in PST to news on Tuesday. Nicolai Østeby in Unge Høyre believes there is a certain danger of foreign intelligence seeking out young politicians because they have less experience. – But I have faith that the work that is being done now is going in the right direction, and that we will get better at detecting the cases that are suspicious. He says they experience a low threshold for contacting PST if the warning lights are on. Tom Nicolai Kolstad This is what the youth politicians answer news has asked several youth party leaders about how they work with this problem and whether they have experienced receiving suspicious inquiries. Read the answers from those who have answered here 👉 AUF Jan Halvor Vaag Endrerud, general secretary of AUF – It is something we continuously work to counteract. We must not be naive in the face of the threats posed by foreign intelligence. Fortunately, we receive good guidance from the security authorities in the country. – When it has been real, we have handled it in consultation with the authorities. Saeed Zubair Mob Ane Breivik, leader of Unge Venstre – This is probably a new problem for many youth politicians, but the world has changed quickly in a short time and we cannot be naive. Norway is in a completely different security policy situation and all parts of our society must be more alert to foreign influence. – Should such situations become relevant, we will have a dialogue with the Norwegian security authorities. A sad case for democracy On Monday 1 June, a Norwegian was arrested at Oslo Airport on his way home from a trip to China. The PST has charged him with attempted gross intelligence activities for the benefit of China. The man denies criminal guilt. As news has previously told, he was active in a local team in the Oslo Labor Party. There he was a deputy member of the board together with Foreign Minister Espen Barth Eide. Tobias Stokkeland in Grønn Ungdom thinks it’s a sad case for what he thinks is good about Norwegian democracy. – There is a very low threshold for coming into contact with the most powerful in society. He is concerned that cases like this mean that security checks have to be increased when people, for example, take on a board position. – We must do something without compromising how accessible democracy is for the rest of us, those who are not spies or foreign intelligence. Stokkeland is from Kristiansand. Photo: Tom Nicolai Kolstad / news news points out that the parents of Tobias Stokkeland work at news, but have had nothing to do with this case. Hi! Do you have thoughts about the case you’ve read or suggestions for other things we should check out? Feel free to send me an email! Published 18.07.2024, at 05.45 Updated 18.07.2024, at 08.10
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Youth politicians on PST warning – news Sørlandet – Local news, TV and radio
