Hard against Red after the Ukraine debate: – Scariest thing I’ve seen on TV

Both politicians and viewers react strongly to the statements made by Rødt about arms support for Ukraine below Tuesday’s “Debate” on NRK.

Joakim Møllersen, central board member of the Red party and board member of Oslo Red, stated that Norway should not supply Ukraine with weapons.

He claims that NATO opposes the negotiations in the war, and has an interest in keeping it going in order to weaken Russia.

– Then we cannot at the same time be in favor of sending weapons. It cannot be in a peace party’s interest, he says.

A survey which newspaper Oslo has done shows that Møllersen is not alone in this position in the party.

– The right to fight an occupier

The statement has received several strong reactions, but also during the debate, Møllersen met opposition from his own party colleague, Boye Ullmann.

He has previously organized demonstrations against both Norwegian participation in Afghanistan and Libya, but believes this situation is different.

– Ukraine has the right to fight against an occupier. It is an enormously desperate situation where Putin is now bombarding infrastructure, hydroelectric plants, power plants so that people freeze to death. This is a fight against an occupier and enormous brutality, so they must have weapons to defend themselves, he says.

He is no stranger to the fact that the United States may have political motives against Russia, but compares the war to how a great power such as the United States once attacked Vietnam.

– Obviously difficult to understand in Rødt and parts of SV

The debate has also received reactions outside one’s own party and it is boiling over the comments on Twitter.

Leader of the party Venstre, Guri Melby, is among those who threw themselves over the keyboard during broadcast and tweeted:

– It is absolutely incredible to hear Rødt på Debatten talk about the war in Ukraine as a theoretical and hypothetical situation where we can sit on our little peaceful lawn and think that they do not know what is best for their country’s peace and security. Send them the weapons they need to take down Putin, she writes.

Kari Elisabeth Kaski, parliamentary representative for SV, believes that Rødt argues as if there is a theoretical war in Ukraine.

– I can’t help myself from thinking that the opponents of sending weapons to Red (and previously in their own party) argue as if this is a theoretical exercise and Ukraine is in a theoretical war, she writes on Twitter.

Kristin Clemet, leader of the conservative think tank Civita, reacts to both parties on the left:

– If Russia surrenders, there will be peace. If Ukraine gives up, they will be wiped out. Obviously difficult to understand in Rødt and in parts of SV, she writes.

Presenter and comedian Einar Tørnquist also reacts strongly. He signs Twitter that this is the scariest thing he has seen on television.

– If you are considering voting Red, then you must watch the Debate from tonight. Scariest I’ve seen on TV, he writes.