On 16 June, Bjørnar Moxnes is at Gardermoen in connection with a private trip. This afternoon he is caught stealing a pair of Hugo Boss sunglasses worth NOK 1,199. Two weeks later, the matter becomes public knowledge, and the Rødt leader must explain what he has done. The video of the theft will eventually be made public. 12 of the representatives of the county board in Rødt, who have responded to news, say they still have confidence in Moxnes after seeing the video. The party’s parliamentary representative, Mímir Kristjánsson, also defends the party leader. – I think we do well to remember that Bjørnar Moxnes is only human, he too, writes Kristjánsson on Facebook. Here is a timeline of how the explanations have changed, and the reactions that have come: Says it was an oversight Friday 30 June: Romerikes Blad is the first to report that Bjørnar Moxnes has been arrested for theft. Moxnes acknowledges the circumstances and says that he forgot that he had brought his glasses out of the store at Oslo Airport. He confirms that he has adopted a proposal of NOK 3,000. – It is absolutely true that I took a pair of sunglasses out of a shop in Gardermoen without paying. That was not the intention, and is very embarrassing, says Moxnes to Romerikes Blad. He goes on to say that he forgot he had his sunglasses on when he was going to leave the store. – Later, a guard came over and asked for the glasses. Then I was incredibly embarrassed. Instead of any excuses, it was just a matter of accepting the consequences, says Moxnes. The police believe it was done on purpose. The explanation leads to a debate on social media about whether the police really punish such an “overlook”. Later in the evening, news can say that the police believe Moxnes acted with intent – that is, that he did it on purpose. Later that evening, news receives information that it took half an hour before Moxnes was stopped outside the shop. The sunglasses were then packed away in Moxnes’ luggage. The price tag had been removed. TRIED: Here, Bjørnar Moxnes tries on the much talked about sunglasses in the store at Oslo Airport. Moxnes changes explanation Later in the evening, Moxnes comes up with a new explanation. He admits that he tore off the note and put the glasses in his luggage before a guard came and asked about them. “When we went to eat I discovered what I had in my pocket. I panicked and was afraid of how it would look if I went back to the store – what would they think of me? Would they believe me? And this is where I make another mistake. I should have gone straight back and looked the store staff in the eye. Instead, I took off the tag and put the glasses in my luggage,” he writes on Facebook. “I never had time to think what to do next with all this, because afterwards a guard came over and asked for the glasses. I was incredibly embarrassed. Then there was no room for any excuses, you just had to accept the consequences.” TRUST IN MOXNES: Rødt’s party secretary Reidar Strisland. Photo: Rødt Rødt’s party secretary Reidar Strisland tells news on Friday evening that Moxnes has full confidence as party leader. Holds a press conference Saturday 1 July: Moxnes holds a press conference in the center of Oslo, where he starts by saying that he is deeply sorry. – I should have told everything from the start. It was a big mistake and it also gave the impression that it was an everyday mistake to begin with, says Moxnes, referring to the fact that he changed his explanation late on Friday evening. – Did you lay all your cards on the table when the guard confronted you? – I turned as pale as a corpse and it felt like a roof had collapsed. I think my first reaction was, “The glasses?” to the question “can I have them?”. And then, yes, “let me have those glasses.” And then I took them out and gave them to the guard, says Moxnes to news. He says it is up to the party to assess whether he has confidence. Party colleagues are unanimous in their confidence in Moxnes, but characterize it as embarrassing, stupid and above all illegal. Rødt leader Bjørnar Moxnes apologizes that he has not told the full sequence of events related to the sunglasses theft. Information: First denied having the glasses On Saturday evening, news and VG have new information about what happened at Gardermoen. According to the information, Moxnes initially denied that he was wearing glasses, when he was stopped by a security guard. He is said to have been taken away from the site by a security guard. According to what news understands, the glasses must have been taken out in a different place than where he was confronted. – How I felt in the first moment when I was in shock, I cannot answer for. I understand well if I did not appear cooperative then, and I apologize for that, writes Moxnes in an SMS to news. Moxnes sick on Sunday 2 July: Rødt county leader Kjell Oldeide in Sogn og Fjordane asks for an internal emergency meeting about the Moxnes case, but the party secretary says there is no basis for such a meeting Party veteran Viktor Stein in Rødt believes Moxnes should resign. Monday 3 July: An extraordinary national board meeting will still be called on Monday at 19.30. The reason is that Bjørnar Moxnes has been on sick leave, and the national board must be informed of this. – It’s a dusty nonsense case, and Bjørnar has got his act together, says Rødt’s first deputy Marie Sneve Martinussen about the theft case. Martinussen will act as manager while Moxnes is on sick leave. She emphasizes that he is not a victim in the case. – For us as a party, it is clearly disappointing that he has not shared information with us in the party leadership or the public. It has made the case much more difficult for Rødt than it needed to be, she says. Martinussen says everyone who spoke at the national board meeting expressed full confidence in Bjørnar Moxnes. SURVEILLANCE VIDEO: The video shows how Bjørnar Moxnes got the glasses. Video from the glasses shop is published On Monday evening, VG publishes the surveillance video from the duty-free shop. The video shows that Moxnes first puts the glasses on the luggage trolley. He then checks his left jacket pocket before placing his glasses there and zipping the pocket. news has been given access to all the documents in the criminal case. In addition to photos from the incident (see fact box), it is clear from the documents how the store itself describes the sequence of events: Moxnes takes the glasses, puts them in the trolley, takes them from there to his jacket pocket and leaves the store. Half an hour later he is encountered by a security guard. The glasses were then packed in the luggage, without a price tag on them. TRUST: Acting party leader Marie Sneve Martinussen believes the video does not change the situation. Photo: Amanda Iversen Orlich / news Continued trust in the national government Acting party leader Marie Sneve Martinussen stated on Monday evening to several media that she has seen the video, but that it does not change the situation. A number of national board representatives support Martinussen’s answer. After the video has been published, news makes contact with a number of the county council representatives in Rødt. All of the 12 news receive answers from, reply that they still have confidence in Moxnes as party leader, even after they have seen the video. Many of them also emphasize that they believe Moxnes’s explanation matches what the video shows. Thinks the case has become more difficult Tuesday 4 July: County leader Marit Faanes in Agder reacts to the surveillance images. – The video made the matter more difficult, so to speak. I think that what appears on the video can be perceived in many ways. I think it is very serious. She says that with trust it must be carefully considered. – It is not in line with the values that Rødt stands for. But he has expressed that himself. Here you have to spend time dealing with the matter, and the management must be given work space. It’s a bad case, it’s a surprising case, there are actions that are not good, and the handling afterwards is of course up for grabs, says Faanes to news. Several in Rødt now express that the case is difficult. – I think he should go. It is the case that if you have stepped on the salad, you should stay standing. For me, the worst thing is not the theft itself, but the changes to the story afterwards. I think it will be difficult to run an election campaign with this in the bag. Personally, I have had a lot of trouble because of this, says manager of Strand Rødt Bjørn Ove Hersdal to the local newspaper Strandbuen. The leader in Kristiansund Rødt also thinks Moxnes should go. – As the situation has developed, I think Moxnes should come to his senses and announce that he is stepping down as leader in Rødt, says Stein Kristiansen to Tidens Krav. Mimir Kristjansson: – Just a human being too In a post on Facebook, Rødt profile Mimir Kristjansson goes out against all the criticism directed at the Rødt leader. SUPPORTS THE PARTY LEADER: Rødts Mimir Kristjansson. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB – Much of what is now being written in social media about Moxnes is downright demeaning. It is no wonder that he has been called sick due to this strain. But this too has been met with a wall of derision, he writes. – I think we do well to remember that Bjørnar Moxnes is only human, he too. This case is of course sensational and serious. But it must be possible to have some proportions in all this, he continues. Leader Thina Johanne Nordfjellmark Aarsund in Nordland Rødt says the case shows that they have not seen a need for “error management” in the past, but will not demand his resignation. – This was our first bang. Politicians are also human, and we must learn from this. We are well mobilized for the election campaign and our focus is on our good politics, she says. PS! Rødt’s national assembly is structured differently to all other parliamentary parties. Each local team has at least one vote at the national meeting where the leader is elected. The National Board only has observer status.
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Red profile against Moxnes criticism – county leader says the video makes the matter more serious
