The police are investigating threats against pride education at primary school – news Troms and Finnmark

The school notified the police immediately and is keeping the school closed today. The police have launched an investigation. This is what the police in Finnmark wrote in a press release on Monday morning. – For the time being, there is little we can say, says operations manager Bjørn Tormod Syversen in the Finnmark Police District. The police are now proceeding with the case and examining, among other things, the e-mail that was sent to the school. – We have launched an investigation in an attempt to identify the sender. We do not want to release information about the content of the e-mail, says Syversen. Attempts were also made this morning to set fire to a rubbish bin at the school. It was quiet at Vadsø bars and junior high school on Monday morning. All the children had been picked up and the school was empty. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news Was told to bring the children home According to the newspaper iFinnmark, the parents were told in the morning to bring their children home from school. This morning, parents received this message via e-mail and Visma: “Due to a threat to the school, and based on the police’s assessment, it has been decided that the school will be closed today. Parents are asked to collect their children as soon as possible. More information to come.” Neither the police nor the principal at the school wish to provide further information about the case for the time being. The rubbish bin that was tried to be set on fire outside the school has now been taken away. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news Have set up a crisis team – The school discovered this in the morning today and has informed the police, and the message has also been followed up by the management in the municipality. The police have made an assessment of the threat which has ended with the decision to close the school, says Wenche Pedersen, who is the mayor of Vadsø municipality. The mayor says they have informed all employees and parents in the municipality and have set up a crisis team. Mayor of Vadsø municipality, Wenche Pedersen. Photo: Sidsel Vik / news – How long will the school be closed? – We know nothing about that. The threat has been assessed to the extent that the school is closed today, and the police are now investigating. I expect that will be decisive for what happens next. – We will listen to the advice we get from the police, adds the mayor. She thinks it is terrible that the municipality should experience such threats. – It’s just terribly sad and shows that this is something that happens all over the country. Conducting a parade in the city The leader of pride in Vadsø, Sara Pleym, says it is terrible that the threats to the pride teaching extend to the pupils at the primary school. – They have every right to learn about pride, she says. The manager finds it painful to hear that the school has received threats because of the teaching. – Some have chosen to resort to threats and hatred. It is very sad, says Pleym. The head of pride in Vadsø, Sara Pleym says the parade and the event they have planned will be carried out at the weekend. Photo: Privat Next Saturday, a Pride parade is planned in Vadsø, and despite the threat, preparations are continuing as planned. Pleym says the organizers have been in dialogue with the police, among other things to prepare for how many people will participate in the parade. – We have expectations that everything will happen in a safe way, as it has been in previous years, she says. Robert Lundgren encourages people in the city to support this year’s pride parade to show resistance to the threats the school has received. Photo: news That the parade will still go on at the weekend receives support from the local community in Vadsø. – Hate must not be allowed to win in our city. Long live love, says local politician and cultural organizer Robert Lundgren. He and several others in the town react to the threats the school has received. He himself has not been allowed to participate in the pride marking in the city before, but this year he says that it will be a priority. – I hope that we all stand up against the hate at Saturday’s pride parade, urges Lundgren. In Vadsø, the reactions have started to come after the primary and secondary school received the threats. Nevertheless, the pride management in the city chooses to carry out a parade and event at the weekend. Photo: Hanne Wilhelms / news More threats This year’s pride month has been marked by threats both here in Norway and abroad. In the US, there are very steep fronts, where employees who work in shops that support the marking receive several threats. Here at home in Norway, Redd Barna received several threats of harassment and violence in connection with a pride children’s festival in Bergen. Save the Children canceled the children’s festival during pride in Bergen due to threats. The banner was to be used during the festival. Photo: Redd Barna The festival was cancelled, but was instead replaced by an indoor event. – We were looking forward to play, fun, rainbows, celebrating diversity and a good atmosphere. The most important thing for us is that all children who participate in events organized by Save the Children should be safe and feel included, without the risk of encountering threats, violence or harassment, wrote Save the Children in a press release after the cancellation.



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