Norwegian Labour Party branch deletes 220 hate-filled comments after Stoltenberg post

A Facebook post by Agder Labour Party featuring former NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg triggered a wave of abusive comments, forcing moderators to remove 220 messages containing threats and slurs, Dagbladet reports.

The post, shared on Saturday, showed Stoltenberg alongside local politicians Ida Hirst and Kai Steffen Østensen, encouraging party membership. It quickly drew hundreds of hostile reactions, including calls for violence and accusations of treason.

Line Kysnes Vennesland, deputy leader of Agder Labour Party, described the response as “completely overwhelming,” with commenters labelling party members as “paedophiles, traitors, Nazis, brainwashed idiots, and monkeys.” Some urged them to “take a train to hell” or “hang themselves.”

Vennesland told Dagbladet the comments came from across Norway, likely after the post was shared in anti-Labour groups. “You lose a bit of your spark for life reading so much negativity,” she said, noting similar abuse during last year’s election campaign.

The party has since restricted comments to followers only. Vennesland emphasised the importance of resisting such attacks, particularly ahead of the 15th anniversary of the 22 July terror attacks. “We won’t back down,” she stated, calling for stronger police resources and stricter social media regulations.

A 2023 survey by KS found many politicians withdraw from public debate after facing threats, a trend Vennesland called “a danger to democracy.”