Hans Jørgen Lysglimt Johansen pleads guilty and hopes for a full acquittal. – The court is “rigged”, as a certain American president said, he says to news. Lysglimt Johansen is charged with hate speech against Muslims, Jews and homosexuals, in the period 2017 to 2021. He is also charged with Nav and insurance fraud. For this, the prosecution is asking for 10 months’ imprisonment for Lysglimt Johansen, of which 30 days of the sentence are conditional imprisonment. Lysglimt Johansen says he does not understand the indictment, and asks for a full acquittal. – This is in reality the system’s settlement with Lysglimt and the Alliance. That’s the background. This charge would never have been brought if I wasn’t who I am, he believes. Accused of fraud and hate speech The case against Lysglimt Johansen is made up of two parts. Both Nav and insurance fraud, as well as hate speech. On the Nav point in the indictment, it is stated that Lysglimt Johansen received more than NOK 665,000 too much in daily allowance from Nav in the period 2017 to 2019. The statements Lysglimt Johansen is charged with for debt, a number of posts the prosecution believes contradict the criminal law’s prohibition against discriminatory or hate speech . Several of the messages incorporate traditional conspiracy theories that are popular in the far-right environment, and are out on X//Twitter, the video service BitChute, TikTok, and Instagram. State prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann (right) and police prosecutor Anders Lafton Briskodden in the Oslo District Court. Photo: Einar Torkelsen / news According to the prosecutor’s office, Johansen must, among other things, have referred to Jews as “child molesters” a number of times and called Jews an inferior group. He has also stated that Jews are behind a global conspiracy. The prosecution believes that this is dehumanizing, i.e. dehumanizing, above the ethnic group. – When it comes to hateful speech, it is the case that for the one record there are so many offenses over such a long period of time that this should lead to imprisonment. Something that is relatively unusual in Norwegian courts, says prosecutor Carl Graff Hartmann to news. Doubts about accounts Lysglimt Johansen tells news that he has not seen all the indictment documents, and thus does not have an overview of the around 200 tweets. He says that he does not have control over all the Twitter accounts at the time the statements in the indictment are presented. – But you yourself know what you have written, don’t you? – Yes, that is, the claim is that all the tweets are taken from my Twitter feed. But I also know that when this was going on, there were many similar accounts. And we cannot rule out that some of these are included in the evidence. Hans Jørgen Lysglimt Johansen (left) with defenders Jonas Berge and Bjørn Robert Antonsen. Photo: Annvor Seim Vestrheim / news State Attorney Hartmann rejects this. – He has not distanced himself from the messages we have been to in the evidence. There is no basis for saying that there are no messages from him, says Hartmann. Want severe punishment State Attorney Hartmann says the punishment they are asking for for hate speech is “severe”. – For the violation of the provision on hateful speech, it is not usual for someone to be sentenced to unconditional imprisonment, he says to news. The reason for this has three main reasons – that the statements have taken place over a longer period of time, that the statements affect a whole group of people, and are presented by a person with great influence. Hartmann places particular emphasis on how Johansen uses the hateful expressions to get attention. – It is his media strategy, says State Attorney Hartmann in court on Thursday. There was a break in court when the fire alarm went off in Oslo District Court. Photo: Annvor Seim Vestrheim / news The prosecutor’s office believes that others are intimidated from using their freedom of speech by Johansen speaking out the way he does. When it comes to the punishment for the Nav and insurance fraud count, the prosecution believes that during this period Johansen has had a dual role, both as employer and employee, when he has been paid unemployment benefits. Among other things, they justify the punishment with the fact that the fraud appears to have been planned and organized, and shows an abuse of the community of trust. – Far too strict When asked how he is dealing with the punishment the prosecution is asking for, Lysglimt Johansen says: – Completely hair-raising. I have been with Nav, Innovation Norway when starting a business. I have really tried to build a business, and then things have gone crazy anyway. – The claim is far too strict, it must be preserved, he adds. Defense attorney Antonsen does not think Lysglimt Johansen has been guilty of fraud, because the money he has withdrawn from the account of the company where he is the employer can be counted as salary. Hans Jørgen Lysglimt Johansen and defender Jonas Berge. Photo: Yann Valerievich Belov / news When it comes to the hate speech, defender Berge says, among other things, that you cannot assess all the hate speech together. – He is clear that he believes the statements are within the scope of freedom of expression, and that he should therefore be acquitted, says Berge to news. In addition, the defender believes that it is important that the court considers the statement from Lysglimt Johansen in light of the time the opinion was expressed, and emphasizes that society has become more “woke”. Published 27.06.2024, at 19.14
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The prosecution requests prison for the Alliance leader – news Norway – Overview of news from various parts of the country
