Progress Party leader condemns advisor’s remarks as racist

Progress Party leader Sylvi Listhaug has distanced herself from statements made by party advisor Hårek Hansen, who referred to Pakistani immigrants as “minus variants” and suggested they should not have children in Norway, Dagbladet reports.

The remarks, captured in a covert recording by TV 2 journalists during a bar conversation in Oslo, have drawn sharp criticism from across the political spectrum. Hansen made the comments the night before the party’s national conference at Gardermoen.

Listhaug addressed the controversy from the conference podium, stating that Hansen’s remarks “contradict both the Progress Party’s policies and our view of humanity.” The party’s general secretary, Helge Fossum, confirmed to NTB that the incident is being treated as an internal personnel matter.

Conservative Party leader Ine Eriksen Søreide called Hansen’s statements “clearly racist,” urging Listhaug to take a firm stance. “Listhaug must quickly make it clear that this is unacceptable and not in line with the party’s values,” Søreide told Dagbladet.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre also weighed in, writing on Facebook that racism is “unacceptable and harmful,” and that political leaders must condemn it. He questioned why the Progress Party was treating the remarks as an administrative issue rather than a political one. “People aren’t concerned with what the Progress Party decides administratively. The party leader must clarify whether this is politically acceptable or not,” Støre wrote.

Ida Lindtveit Røse, deputy leader of the Christian Democratic Party, described the remarks as “completely unacceptable” and demanded the Progress Party take action. “We expect the Progress Party to do the same and clean this up,” she said in a statement to Dagbladet.