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Norway Labour leader calls Trump ‘deeply disturbing’

The man slated to be Norway’s next Prime Minister has joined the chorus of senior European politicians breaking with convention to condemn Donald Trump, the Republican presidential candidate.

Norway Labour leader calls Trump 'deeply disturbing'
Jonas Gahr Støre said modern politics was divided between those offering hope and those exploiting fear. Photo: Lise Åserud / NTB scanpix
Jonas Gahr Støre, the leader of Norway’s Labour party, said that  Trump’s statements on NATO and Russia were so “deeply disturbing” that it was no longer possible to keep to the convention of not commenting on other countries’ elections. 
 
“It is disturbing for Norway that someone who could become President of the US is putting in doubt the principles and obligations of Nato and opening up for reconsideration the doctrine of ‘one for all, all for one’,” Støre told Norway’s VG newspaper. 
 
Støre joins French President François Hollande, Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier, Sweden’s Prime Minister Stefan Löfven and Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi in openly speaking out against a Trump presidency. 
 
Hollande went so far as to say that the businessman and reality TV star’s “excesses make you want to retch”, while Steinmeier on Friday called the US Republican presidential candidate a “hate preacher”.
 
In nearby Sweden, Löfven has complained that Trump’s campaign was based on “fear and division”. 
 
Støre said that Trump’s statements had been so extreme that it was no longer possible to remain silent. 
 
“The usual thing has been to be reluctant to comment on other countries’ elections, but this is an election with an impact far beyond the US,” he said. “There are both attitudes and opinions coming from Trump around politics which I think make it completely unnatural to sit idly still and watch.” 
 
He also singled out Trump’s attitude to Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula as another worrying sign. 
 
“No country that wants to have safer borders in Europe is reassured by such statements,” he said. 
 
He said he was also worried that the fight against climate change, and for the rights of women would be set back if Trump became president. 
 
Støre later on Friday spoke at the summer camp of Norway’s Labour Party youth movement, the AUF, on the island of Utøya, telling the 1,000 attendants that the world was now divided by those who viewed the world with hope, and those who felt only fear. 
 
“This is a burning dividing line in our time; whether we approach the future with fear or hope,” he said. 
 
“Fear is not wrong. Not inappropriate. Not shameful,” he continued. “Fear is a reality in many people's lives, and those of us who are engaged in politics must take it seriously, understand where the fear is coming from, and do something to counter it. The Labour movement came into being in order to overcome fear.” 
 

TRAVEL

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday 

Find out what's going on in Norway on Tuesday with The Local's short roundup of important news.

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday 
Oslo Operahus .Photo by Arvid Malde on Unsplash

Only one in ten Norwegians plan to travel abroad this summer 

Around ten percent of people in Norway are planning to take a holiday abroad this summer, according to a survey carried out by tourism organisation NHO Reiseliv.

Seven out of ten respondents said they still plan to holiday in Norway this year, even if they receive a vaccination before the holidays start.

READ MORE: ‘My arguments didn’t matter’: How I ended up in a hotel quarantine in Norway 

Viken and Vestland are this year’s most popular travel destinations for Norwegians planning a “staycation”. Young people were the most likely to want to remain in Norway this summer. Just under half of those aged between 18 and 29 said they wished to stay in Norway this summer. 

Third of Utøya survivors have received abuse or threats

A third of Utøya survivors have been victims of hate speech or received threats, according to a new survey. 

Three-quarters of respondents said that the reason they received the abuse was linked directly to the Utøya terror attack, the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Studies (NKVTS) found. 

The massacre on Utøya was the second of two terror attacks carried out by Anders Breivik on July 22nd, 2011. Of the 69 people who died in the attack, 32 were under the age of 18. 

Fewer in Oslo willing to ditch cars 

A climate survey carried out by the city of Oslo has shown that fewer people than before are willing to cut back on using their cars. The proportion of those who think that Oslo city centre should be car-free has fallen to 45 percent from 52 percent last year. 

READ ALSO: Could Norway introduce mandatory inbuilt car breathalysers 

When asked whether Oslo City Council had gone too far in removing cars from the city centre, almost half said that they believed that this was the case. 

“A change in the attitude around these measures may be due to more people feeling dependent on cars during the pandemic. There has been a lot of debate about measures that have been introduced or are planned to be introduced,” Heidi Sørensen, Director of the Climate Agency, told the Dagsavisen newspaper

Tighter Coronavirus measures in Trondheim 

Gyms, museums and swimming pools have been closed, and alcohol service in hospitality has been stopped in Trondheim. The new measures come barely a week after restrictions were last tightened. 

“We need to shut down most of Trondheim to get control. It is only days since we last tightened measures, but we are in a situation where we must take even stronger action,” Morten Wolden, the municipal director for Trondheim, told state broadcaster NRK.

Norway reports 292 new Covid-19 cases

On Monday, 292 new coronavirus infections were registered in Norway. This is a drop of 52 compared to the seven-day average of 344. 

In Oslo, 48 cases were recorded, an increase of two on the capital’s seven day average of 46. 

The R-number or reproduction rate in Norway is currently 1.0. This means that every ten people that are infected, will, on average, only infect another ten people, indicating that the infection level is stable. 

Total number of Covid-19 cases so far. Source: NIPH
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