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Norway MPs claim they have endured assaults

At least 16 politicians in the Norwegian government have claimed they have been victim of physical assault or that someone has tried to attack them, an investigation revealed on Thursday.

Norway MPs claim they have endured assaults
Norwegian politicians face dangers at work new research reveals. Photo: Shutterstock.

The figures were part of a study by the research department of the Norwegian Police University College on behalf of the Norwegian Police Security Service (PST) in spring 2013.

Seventy percent of the 112 politicians who took part in the study said they had received unwanted and offensive letters. More than half interviewed stated they have experienced someone spreading malicious information about them. Fifty politicians have received unwanted and harrassing phone calls.
 
Politicians in the Progress Party (FrP), Socialist Left Party (SV) and the Labour Party (Ap) are most prone to serious incidents. One third of them report that they have experienced at least one incident that they perceived as "serious".
 
Serious incidents are physical assaults or attempted physical assaults, threats against closely related people, vandalism to property and objects, or threats published on social media.
 
The two researchers of the study, Heidi Fischer Bjelland and Tore Bjørgo, claim that: “The members of the government seem to be somewhat more prone than representatives from the parliament.”
 
The politicians who are the most visible and who have been in their jobs for the longest time, are the most prone. No difference between genders was found. The exception is sexual harassment of female politicians, according to the study.

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