– It is not the case that PST sits and filters messages that reach politicians. Everything comes together there. Everything from factual feedback to death threats. That is what Simen Velle tells. Since April, he has led the Progress Party’s Youth (FpU). But with increased visibility in the Norwegian public, he has also had to endure more harassment. And it often arrives straight in the inbox. – For my own part, I see it as the price I pay for being a politician. But I wish it were possible to speak publicly without facing as much opposition as you do. He fears that gross incitement in social media may lead to many not getting involved politically. FpU leader Simen Velle says that incitement is the price he has to pay for being a politician. Photo: Une Solheim / news – I think the dark figures with all those people who think “no, it’s not worth it”, the fact that all those perspectives disappear from the debate, that’s an even bigger problem. The FpU leader himself has never considered giving up on politics. But now he is being asked for a larger debate that can help to raise awareness of the consequences that incitement can have for those who are exposed. – You don’t have to hate each other because you have different solutions. My humble wish is that you try to be a little more generous with each other, says Velle. The AUF leader: – A democratic problem AUF leader Astrid Willa Hoem has also had to weather several storms for her political involvement. – It makes you think twice before going out on something controversial. I think disagreement is good, it’s healthy for democracy. But that’s because you know you have to stand in something quite intense right after, she says. Hoem says that as a woman, she can receive threats of rape, be told that she is “too young and stupid” to say anything, and incitement directed at her appearance. AUF leader Astrid Willa Hoem believes incitement against politicians has become a democratic problem. Photo: Une Solheim / news But most of all, she is afraid that incitement may lead to certain groups in particular refusing to participate in the public debate. – Young people, women and people with a minority background experience that it becomes more difficult to participate in democracy because you get incitement and hate messages in return, says Hoem. The party secretaries fear for the turnout The parties are now experiencing that politicians’ anger makes it more demanding to recruit candidates for politics. – We find that there are many people who think it is demanding to stand for election because there are many people who are exposed to incitement, says Høyre’s secretary general Tom Erlend Skaug. He says that the party secretaries shared their concerns with each other during a joint meeting last autumn. They notice that it has become more difficult to get candidates to run ahead of next year’s municipal council and county council elections. Secretary General of the Conservative Party Tom Erlend Skaug (left) says that incitement against politicians has made it more difficult to get candidates to stand for election. Here he is pictured together with Conservative Party leader Erna Solberg (right). Photo: Torstein Bøe / NTB – There are examples of local politicians being spat on in the streets, of receiving comments on age, appearance, gender, and in the worst case outright death threats. It is clear that many people cannot take it anymore, says Skaug. – Are there young candidates in particular who you see being scared away by incitement? – Yes, there is probably an impression that women and young politicians are particularly vulnerable. And then there are probably many with a minority background who perhaps notice this to an even greater extent than politicians in general, says Skaug. He is worried that Norwegian politics will thus lose important votes. – And that worries all the political parties, I think. Researcher: – Dramatic increase Anders Ravik Jupskås has done a lot of research on how incitement and hate speech affect politicians. He is deputy director at the Center for Extremism Research, which is affiliated with the University of Oslo. – Among local politicians, as many as 60 per cent of those under the age of 25 say that they have experienced an unpleasant inquiry as a result of being a politician, he says. Young politicians are more often exposed to incitement than older politicians. At the same time, the parts on the outer wings are more exposed than the parts in the middle. Anders Ravik Jupskås, deputy head of the Center for Extremism Research at the University of Oslo, says that young people are more exposed to incitement than older politicians. Photo: Beate Oma Dahle / NTB – Frp is the party most exposed to incitement and threats. But also politicians from Rødt and MDG are quite exposed. Incitement against politicians can challenge democracy in two ways in particular, according to Jupskås: – One is problems in the form of self-censorship. That many politicians refuse to participate in debates on certain issues. The second is that it causes democratic problems in the form of recruitment into politics. – Not dark Jupskås emphasizes that despite a “quite dramatic” increase in more serious forms of incitement, the numbers are still not dark. – Half of all local politicians have never experienced anything during their entire career. At the same time, the research shows that around a quarter of those who experience incitement and hatred, both at local and national level, have considered resigning. – What can be done to reduce the amount of incitement against politicians? – Political opponents should avoid portraying their competitors as illegitimate participants in democracy. But the media should also be careful about presenting issues in a way that contributes to unnecessary polarization, says Jupskås. It is also essential that politicians who are exposed to incitement and hatred have a support system around them, he adds.
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The parties worry about increased politicking – receive death threats straight into the inbox – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
