Incitement to hatred: how not to market Norwegian fjords

"One strongly distances oneself from Israel’s terrorism. The chosen people have started a new holocaust with the extermination of the Palestinians. Adolf Hitler’s ideology has now become the ideology of jews of Israel. Like most Norwegians one strongly distances oneself from Israel’s apartheid and its supporters."

Source: Norway, Israel and the Jews blog (anti-semitism and the anti-Israel lobby in Norway)

Comparing Gaza to the Warsaw ghetto of WWII is an act of holocaust distortion. Among the prominent Norwegians who have indulged in this shameful act, in the very same year as Norway heads the Task Force of Holocaust Remembrance, are Mayor of Tromsø Arild Hausberg, Doctor Mads Gilbert and politician Torstein Dahle (Rødt-Red). With their prestige and prominence these individuals have opened up a moral abyss into which the ordinary man and women can gleefully and fearlessly jump. The first secretary at the Norwegian Embassy in Riyadh is one of them. The man behind the web-site above is another.

The site Oslooyene.no, which Document.no first wrote about quite some time ago, provides information on the islands in the Oslo fjord and contains photographs, historical facts and practical advice. The text in the mainframe of the page (see below for close-up) is highly appropriate to the mission of the site, saying:

"The Oslo-islands lie in the inner Oslo-fjord and consist of 11 larger islands and as many smaller ones. Many of these are owned by the municipality of Oslo and are managed as recreational areas. Two of the islands lie outside of the municipality of Oslo. These are Langøyene (Nesodden) and Håøya (Frogn). There are many suitable bathing places, historical buildings and large areas are listed as nature reserves."

So far, so good. Nothing out of the ordinary. Then comes a text marked in red. This is somewhat less usual fare:

"One strongly distances oneself from Israel’s terrorism. The chosen people have started a new holocaust with the extermination of the Palestinians. Adolf Hitler’s ideology has now become the ideology of Jews of Israel. Like most Norwegians one strongly distances oneself from Israel’s apartheid and its supporters."

If there exists a more repulsive site on the Oslo islands, we would very much like to see it. Mixing politics with information for tourists is bad enough. Going full Hausberg with a Gaza-Warsaw comparison is completely beyond the pale. Yet this is what happens. Prominent citizens lead, and the man in the street follows.

On the other hand, people like Hausberg, Gilbert, Dahle and their followers do not stand unopposed. After decades of aggressive "information-campaigns", many still refuse to take partake in Israel-bashing. In the face of aggressive boycott campaigns, trade with Israel was quite recently reported to have increased. This year, the main pro-Israel organization With Israel for peace reported a 40% increase in membership. And only last month 3500 Norwegians gathered in support of Israel and to call for the release of Gilad Shalit.

If you visit Norway as a tourist you will most probably not notice any anti-Israeli bias and sites such as Osloøyene.no make most Norwegians very angry. Yet Hausberg, Gilbert and Dale must be taken to task for their actions, before they seriously injure the reputation of our nation. It can’t continue like this.