One year after the terrorist attack on Israel in which 1,200 people were killed by Hamas, the association in Sunnmøre will hold a slightly delayed commemoration. There they expect 70-80 people to show up for the film and lecture. But it has been more difficult than they imagined. They have been refused to rent premises, because landlords are afraid of safety. – I was shocked. I was told that they do not rent out to such organisations, says chairman Marit Heggen Stokke. It was Sunnmørsposten that first told the story. The association has used the course and banquet hall for Spjelkavik Panorama for several years. Photo: Mia Sofie Ytreberg / news Has been a customer for many years For the past seven years, Med Israel for Peace (MIFF) has rented premises for its events at the course center Spjelkavik panorama. This time they got quite the answer to the question. – There has never been unrest and we have always notified the police before the event, so that they have been aware of it. It is the police who assess safety, says Stokke. When the association was refused by their headquarters, they asked Thon Partner Hotel Baronen. There they initially got a yes, but then a counter-notice came by phone. According to Stokke, the message from there was that they had to think about the safety of their guests. The association did not rent premises at Thon Partner Hotel Baronen either. Photo: Mia Sofie Ytreberg / news Increased threat level PST increased the threat level on Tuesday to high. It is the threat to Jewish and Israeli targets that is even more acute. Daily manager at Spjelkavik panorama, Frida Myrstad Dybvik, believes that their assessment of saying no to the association was correct, when PST has now increased the threat level. She does not want the employees to go to work and feel unsafe. – We are a small company. We don’t have a big weight class and big teams behind us. We are few and if something should come up, we will not be able to take care of it, says Dybvik. She still understands that the association is disappointed. Frida Myrstad Dybvik believes that the safety of the employees is most important. Photo: Mia Sofie Ytreberg / news Morten A. Kahrs, managing director at Norlandia Group, replies that after an overall assessment, the association was contacted that they could not hold their event at the hotel as planned. – I do not wish to go into details in the assessment. There are many elements and sides to the case, says Kahrs. Never experienced anything like it Med Israel for peace is a nationwide organization with around 15,000 members. The daily leader, Conrad Myrland, tells news that in general they have not experienced problems with renting local places in the country in recent times and that it is strange that it is happening in Ålesund. – It is a serious attack on our freedom of expression if there are threats that cause landlords to withdraw, says Myrland. Conrad Myrland is the daily leader of Med Israel for peace. Photo: Braastad, Audun / NTB scanpix Old people in the hallway For the local association in Sunnmøre, things worked out in the end. They were able to move the event to the Moa conference centre. Stokke thinks it will be a quiet event. – We will have people in the hallway who will look out if we see something suspicious, or people start to get restless. We have some well-grown guys in the hall who keep a watchful eye on it, says Stokke. Marit Heggen Stokke thinks it will be a quiet commemoration on Thursday without any noise. Photo: Mia Sofie Ytreberg / news Published 09.10.2024, at 16.08
ttn-69
With Israel for Peace in Sunnmøre (MIFF) could not rent premises for commemoration – news Møre og Romsdal – Local news, TV and radio
