– We mostly experience digital harassment and threats, which can be anything from ridicule of a point of view to threats of murder, violence and rape. Girls in particular experience many threats of a sexual nature. The words belong to leader of Rød Ungdom, Liv Smith-Sivertsen. The election campaign is approaching, and many young people are getting ready to represent their party for the first time. It doesn’t just have to be fun. – What worries me most is the incitement and threats from the far right. I have friends and party colleagues who have been hung out on neo-Nazi and far-right sites, and neo-Nazis who have turned up at our events. Danger to recruitment Last year the report “Harassment and threats against politicians” came out. It showed that a great many Norwegian politicians, from municipal councils to the Storting and government, experience regular cases of partly serious harassment, threats and harassment. Leader of Socialist Youth, Synnøve Kronen Snyen, recognizes herself. – A concrete example is our local team in Stord, which had a protest action against oil exploration, and when the local newspaper wrote about it, they received death threats. I think it is reprehensible that people send death threats to 16-year-olds who try to put green change on the agenda. She is worried about what this might mean for recruitment. – It is a big challenge because women, minorities and young people receive far more serious harassment and much more harassment than other groups. So that means that you risk losing important votes in politics. Report to the police when necessary – It has varied over the years, but it can be anything from messages sent to private inboxes, comment fields on news stories, and the spread of hateful messages in groups on Facebook. This is what AUF leader Astrid Willa Eide Hoem says. – In addition, AUFers have unfortunately also experienced physical confrontation and some incidents of violence as a result of their involvement. We all know the terror on 22 July, but also in the years since then, AUFs have experienced physical confrontations and attacks, particularly in connection with the election campaign. AUF leader Astrid Willa Eide Hoem. Photo: Ismail Burak Akkan / news Hoem calls it a major challenge and a fundamental threat to people’s freedom of expression. – It is important for us to be clear at all times that it must be taken seriously and reported to the police when appropriate, and to support those who receive harassment and assist with securing the uncertainty and nervousness that one can feel when receiving harassment , threats and hatred. – It can make the threshold higher for participating in the public debate, and we have therefore had regular contact with the police and PST to follow up on cases of threats and hate speech. Leader of Christian People’s Party’s youth, Hadle Rasmus Bjuland: – The most common are irrelevant comments and angry e-mails. We are occasionally called – but it depends on which area we have discussed. Leader of Unge Venstre, Ane Breivik: – We see that it can disappear in debates about climate, immigration and value issues and that women and minorities experience it in larger degree. What we get the most from are harassing comments online.–This year, internally within the organisation, we have had a particular focus on handling incitement, threats and hate speech and invited presenters to talk about the topic.Leader of the Youth Centre, Andrine Hanssen-Seppola:– Youth politicians have to stand for a lot that one should have let go, both through social media, comment fields and other platforms. Twitter, for example, has become a wormhole for improprieties and incitement. Leader of the Progressive Party’s youth, Simen Velle: – I often meet young people who say they vote for us but do not dare to register because it is stigmatizing to be Frper. I think it is wise for us politicians to be a bit more generous with each other, have a high ceiling in debates and let each other finish speaking, I think that will have an effect on our debate climate. Secretary General Unge Høyre, Mille Christensen: – The incitement is usually based on the fact that our youth politicians are too young and do not have “enough life experience” to express themselves on certain issues. A regular occurrence is that youth politicians are not dry behind the ears. Spokesperson Grønn Ungdom, Tobias Oftedal Stokkeland: – It varies greatly based on the case and the person, but incitement occurs relatively regularly. – At the same time, it is important to emphasize that one can often get the impression that being a youth politician is only about bathing in excitement, but that is really not the case. – Bad for recruitment Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre believes it is unacceptable that young politicians are harassed and threatened. – Both because it is uncomfortable and scary for the individual, but also because it scares young people from participating in the debate, and from taking up positions in politics. That is why incitement and threats are bad for democracy. Everyone should be able to express their opinion without being harassed or threatened. He believes it is an important topic to talk about. – I would like to pay tribute to those who share their own, personal experiences with threats and incitement. Everyone has a responsibility for a constructive and factual debate. This applies both in the comment field and how we talk about and with each other on a daily basis. Incitement and threats are unacceptable, says Prime Minister Støre. Photo: NTB Fears for the girls The leader of Rød Ungdom is worried about whether everyone will be able to stand up to the harassment they are experiencing. – We have tough young people, but it is clear that many do not dare to sit in school debates or speak their mind out loud. I think it is particularly difficult for young girls and other marginalized groups, who are already given too little space. Liv Smith-Sivertsen says they work a lot to prepare their young, promising ones in the best possible way. – We are clear that you must prepare well to make it easier to stand in. You must have facts and knowledge in place, and rehearsed answers to the frivolous accusations. – Some incitement must be brushed off and not taken to heart, and the serious must be reported to the police and informed about. You should also, as far as possible, never go alone to debates and stands, it is always nice to have a friend with you for support.
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Incitement against youth politicians – this is how the youth parties work – news Trøndelag
