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BREIVIK

EDL in Stockholm for ‘counter-jihad’ meet

The English Defence League (EDL) and a collection of far-right and anti-Islam groups are planning to come to Stockholm to hold an international meeting on Saturday.

EDL in Stockholm for 'counter-jihad' meet

The EDL have been invited by a sister group calling themselves the Swedish Defence League (SDL) and Stockholm has been chosen for the rally as it was the scene of a failed suicide bombing in December 2011.

“Stockholm was chosen for the Global Counter Jihad rally because of the actions of an Iraqi-born Swedish citizen, Taimour Abdulwahab al-Abdaly, who travelled to central Stockholm on December 11, 2010 in order to commit mass murder,” a group associated to the meeting explained in a statement.

According to Jonathan Möller at Swedish anti-racism newspaper Expo the various groups are united in their belief that there is an ongoing war between the West and Islam and that this will lead to the introduction of Sharia law in Europe and the US.

“They are going to have a large demonstration… to broaden and deepen, as they put it, the counter-jihad network,” Möller told TV4 on Monday.

According to the group’s own estimates some 200-300 people are to be expected to attend the meeting.

English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson is listed among the speakers as well as US anti-Muslim bloggers Robert Spencer and Pamela Geller.

Pamela Geller has made her name within the US Tea Party movement and was a frontline figure in the campaign to prevent the founding of a Islamic centre near to the Ground Zero site on Manhattan.

She is furthermore attached to the so-called “birther” movement which seek to cast doubt on Barack Obama’s nationality and thus credentials as US President.

News of the demonstration has led to the mobilization of anti-racist opposition groups who plan to hold a counter-demonstration under the slogan “Stop EDL – Breivik’s footsoldiers” in reference to Anders Behring Breivik who killed 77 people in twin terror attacks in Norway last year.

Breivik wrote of having strong links to the English Defence League, had 600 EDL members as Facebook friends, and claimed that he was guided by an English mentor after having been recruited to a secret society in London.

The Local has made attempts to contact the English Defence League but our calls have not been returned.

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RENTING

Rental prices in Norway’s biggest cities continue to rise

The cost of renting in Norway's four largest cities rose overall during the third quarter, with prices up six percent this year, figures from Real Estate Norway show. 

Rental prices in Norway's biggest cities continue to rise

A sharp increase in rent prices in Norway continued throughout the third quarter, figures from Real Estate Norway (Eiendom Norge) released on Tuesday show. 

“Real Estate Norway’s rental housing price statistics show a historically strong rise in rental housing prices in Norway in the third quarter,” Henning Lauridsen, CEO of Real Estate Norway, stated in a report on the latest figures. 

Growth was most robust in Stavanger and Oslo, according to Real Estate Norway. 

“The strong growth in rental prices we have seen in the wake of the pandemic continued in the third quarter, and it is particularly in the Stavanger region and in Oslo that the growth in rental prices is strong,” Lauridsen said. 

Stavanger and nearby Sandnes saw the largest price increases, with the cost of renting there increasing by 4.7 percent during the third quarter. During the same period, rents in Oslo increased by 2.5 percent, while a marginal 0.3 percent rise was recorded in Trondheim. 

While the cost of renting in Norway’s four largest cities overall increased by 2 percent, rental prices in Bergen declined. There, rents fell by 2.5 percent in the third quarter.

Lauridsen said that the increase in rental prices was likely to continue due to several factors. High inflation, interest rates, increased taxes on rental properties and a low supply of homes on the market all contributed to increasing rents. 

However, he did note that the supply of rental homes on the market had increased in Trondheim and Oslo since the summer. 

Lauridsen said that the least well-off financially were being hit hardest by rent rises. Previously, the Norwegian government has informed The Local that it will not introduce a temporary cap on rent increases. 

READ MORE: Norway’s government rules out a temporary rent cap

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