Norwegian industrialist Johan H. Andresen, the owner of the company Ferd and the head of the Norwegian Petroleum Fund's ethics council has compared Antifa, a militant organisation which Donald Trump admittedly plans to designate as terrorists, to Milorg, the Norwegian resistance movement during World War II.
Andresen tweeted a 1945 photograph of a Milorg member receiving the capitulation of the Akershus fort in the Norwegian capital, describing it in modern terms as Antifa vs “fa”.
The #Antifa organisation Milorg, here represented by Terje Rollem, accepts the surrender of the Akershus Fortress, in Oslo, Norway from the «fa-part» on May 11, 1945. Photo: Johannes Stage. pic.twitter.com/O2prW9E5Es
— Johan H. Andresen (@FerdOwner) June 1, 2020
His post has sparked numerous retweets and reactions, leaving the public incensed.
“It is deceitful to draw a parallel between the terrorist movement in the United States, which is trying to tear down its own society and country, with Milorg during the war here at home”, one user wrote.
Det er bedritent å trekke parallell mellom terrorbevegelsen i USA, som prøver å rive istykker eget samfunn og land, med MILORG under krigen her hjemme.
— 12th man (@Nordie12) June 1, 2020
“From what I read, it seems that Antifa is a violent organisation, not unlike a terrorist movement. Don't think we should compare them to the resistance movement in World War II”, another one weighed in.
Av det jeg leser virker det som Antifa er en voldelig organisasjon, ikke ulikt en terror-bevegelse. Synes ikke vi skal sammenligne dem med motstandsbevegelsen i andre verdenskrig.
— Lars Gørvell-Dahll (@LarsG_Dahll) June 1, 2020
“Comparing this violent left-wing mob of Antifa with Norwegian patriots and war heroes is bloody rude”, another angry reply said.
Å sammenligne denne voldelige venstreekstreme pøbelgjengen Antifa med norske patrioter og krigshelter er faen så frekt.
— lyder sagen (@Lyderhorn73) June 1, 2020
“Getting a little silly comparing a disorganised mob of people who are willing to kick the heads of out people they assume are fascists, and an organised resistance movement that actually fought fascists”, yet another one chimed in.
Blir litt dumt å sammenligne en gruppe uorganiserte folk som er villige til å slå inn skallen på folk de antar er fascister, og en organisert motstandsbevegelse som faktisk kjempet mot fascister.
— Norwegian person 🇳🇴 (@SMythos) June 2, 2020
“Antifa is as anti-fascist as NSDAP [the German Nazi Party] was socialist”, another one mused.
AntiFa er like antifasistisk som nsdap var sosialistisk
— Skeptisk (@FBureaucracy11) June 1, 2020
Others found the entire concept ludicrous.
“I work in chemistry. And am genuinely interested in what you smoked before posting this tweet”, one reply said.
Jeg jobber innen kjemi. Er genuint interessert i hva du har røyka før du la ut denne tweeten.
— Sarah Thiravong (@Sarah23064820) June 2, 2020
Still others even called to “cancel” Andresen, reasoning that people who badmouth the resistance have no place in Norway.
58-year-old Johan Henrik Andresen is the owner of Ferd, one of Norway's largest privately held companies. He is among the nation's richest people with a net worth of over $3 billion.
Milorg (short for “military organisation”) was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II, founded in 1941 during the Nazi occupation. Its work included intelligence gathering, sabotage, supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of goods imported to the country, release of Norwegian prisoners, and escort for citizens fleeing to neutral Sweden.
Anti-fascist action, also referred to as AFA or Antifa, is a loosely connected militant left-wing movement rooted in socialism, communism, and anarchism and designated as extremist in several countries. While largely modelled after the 1930s Antifaschist Aktion by the German Communist Party to defend against the Nazis, Antifa describes anti-fascism as a form of “self-defence” and doesn't shunt violent actions. Over the years, Antifa has taken been blamed for assault, ill-treatment, and attacks against people they see as their opponents.
Antifa recently came into the limelight again when Donald Trump argued that the rallies across the US, which include violence, looting, and pillaging, are being led by Antifa, and pledged to designate it as a terrorist organisation, making it illegal on US soil.
Congratulations to our National Guard for the great job they did immediately upon arriving in Minneapolis, Minnesota, last night. The ANTIFA led anarchists, among others, were shut down quickly. Should have been done by Mayor on first night and there would have been no trouble!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
The United States of America will be designating ANTIFA as a Terrorist Organization.
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 31, 2020
