Police criticize Frp politician over Bergen assault video post

Police have criticized a prominent Norwegian politician for sharing an unblurred image and making inflammatory comments about a violent assault in Bergen, with the possibility of a police report being filed.

Jon Engen-Helgheim, who chairs the parliamentary justice committee for the Progress Party (Frp), posted a six-second video on Facebook on Thursday showing four youths attacking an 18-year-old russ (high school graduate) in central Bergen on May 17. The video has spread widely on social media, Dagbladet reports.

Police prosecutor Linn Søfteland, who is leading the investigation, told Nettavisen she was “speechless” over Helgheim’s approach. “I understand the reactions to the violence, and we are investigating it. But to expose minors with images and text in this way is something I would think twice about,” she said.

Helgheim’s original post included an unblurred image and stated that there is a typical pattern of “gangs with immigrant backgrounds attacking, robbing, and beating up lone Norwegian boys.” The post has drawn over 1,200 comments and 300 shares.

Police have identified two of the suspects, both minors, and are working to identify the other two, who are also believed to be minors. They have interviewed the victim but no suspects yet, Søfteland said, adding that they have no information on the motive or background of the attack.

Asked whether Helgheim could face consequences, Søfteland said “such posts or the comments on them could lead to a report.” She noted that Norway has freedom of speech but that there is a limit.

Helgheim defended his post as “a purely political statement” and said it was “shocking that a police prosecutor tries to get me to change my political message.” He later updated the post to partially blur the faces.

The comment fields under shared versions of the video include calls for violence and deportation, such as “set fire to the garbage” and “shoot the scum.” Police are monitoring these comments for potential criminal content.

Sofia Rana, an adviser on right-wing extremism at the Antirasistisk senter and a city council representative for the Red Party in Oslo, said the incident is “being used for all it’s worth” by people who exploit crimes committed by visible minorities to provoke strong reactions.