“Rødt’s political project and steigan.no’s political project are incompatible.” The Red leader confirmed this on Facebook on Thursday.
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The former leader of the AKP (ml), Pål Steigan, is now contributing to internal strife in Rødt.
Rødt was founded in 2007. It happened after the Workers’ Communist Party (AKP) and Rød Valgallianse (RV) were closed down. Red gathered forces on the far left and was formed by people with backgrounds from the AKP and RV.
Steigan, which some associate with support for Pol Pot’s totalitarian communist regime in Cambodia in the 1970s, is now best known for the website Steigan.no.
It has recently been accused of spreading both pro-Russian propaganda and conspiracy theories.
Believes Steigan.no is acting deeply irresponsible
On Thursday, the Red leader himself stepped out and criticized the website. It happened at the request of the party’s city council leader Raymond Johansen.
“Red has taken a clear stand against Russia’s war of aggression and distances itself from spreading Russian war propaganda. Putin’s authoritarian imperialism contradicts everything Red stands for, while steigan.no refuses to take a stand on Ukraine’s right to defend itself. ” he writes on own Facebook page.
He calls it “deeply irresponsible” to spread conspiracy theories that undermine infection control in a deadly pandemic. According to Moxnes, it is not about “diversity of opinion”.
Among other things, he shows that Steigan.no describes the use of face masks as «the visible sign of submission and a tool to perpetuate fear, destroy the social relations between peoples, dissolve the human collective and turn us into zombies who obey our least order from the authorities.»
Involvement of Red members
The reason why the old AKP is now causing trouble for Rødt is the following:
- Key people in Red are closely linked to the site. One of them is Per-Gunnar Skotåm. He chairs the board of Mot Dag AS, which owns the website. He was a board member of the Red, but resigned from office this weekend. He is still group leader for Rødt in Nordland County Council. He disagrees with the claims that the website spreads Russian war propaganda.
- The party secretary in Rødt stated to NRK this weekend that «it is not unproblematic that a handful of shop stewards are on the owner side of this blog». She said the party’s leadership supported allegations that the website disseminated “one-sided Russian war propaganda, engaged in conspiracy thinking, promoted racism and transphobia.”
- Rødt has started a process to find out what the party should think about party members being affiliated with Steigan.no.
- The county leaders in Red disagree on how to deal with party members’ involvement in the website. The leader of Viken Rødt, Ingar Mørkestøl Gundersen, stated on Wednesday The class struggle that the internal debate in the party is polarizing, with the potential to “destroy the good cohesion and the political discourse in the party”.
Rice and praise to Moxnes
After Moxnes went hard against Steigan.no on Facebook, it has partly boiled down in the comments field below the post. The Red leader receives a lot of support, but also some opposition.
Stein Stugu, deputy representative to the Storting and longtime municipal council representative for Rødt in Bærum, is one of those who support the preparation from Moxnes.
“Politically, I perceive it as if Steigan has moved further and further from Rødt’s project, both through what he himself says and writes and the priorities that are made on Steigan.no,” he writes.
However, he warns against excluding Steigan from Rødt. But he points out that if Rødt had been “organized as the AKP was, Pål Steigan would probably have been excluded a significant number of times over the last few years on the basis of his activity.”
Think Steigan is a breathing space
One of those who does not appreciate Moxne’s preparation is Red sympathizer Asgeir Bjørkedal. He writes the following:
«Good luck in the election if the docks do not even realize that the independent and power-critical media such as Steigan and On the other hand are important breathing spaces that have been crucial for Raudt’s growth.
We already have plenty of chattering class-trained poodles in politics!»
Bjørkedal informs Aftenposten that he is not a member of Rødt, but has voted for the party sometimes.
Bjørkedal says he has never signed up for Rødt because “old AKP members lurked in the background” – and because “it is not allowed to think for yourself, you have to follow the flow”.
He thinks Moxne’s post is an expression of the latter. He refers to Moxnes as “Stalin-Bjørnar safely in place on the lap of the party secretary”. Party secretary Benedikte Pryneid Hansen went out against Steigan.no before Moxnes did so.
Some county leaders are without comment
Some county leaders in Rødt choose not to comment on Moxnes’ post.
– Are you happy that Moxnes has now gone so hard against Steigan.no?
– I have no comment on that. We have not dealt with it in the county council.
This is what Rainer Svartrapmo, county leader in Rødt in Trøndelag, tells Aftenposten.
The same question to Rødt’s leader in Oppland, Bjørn Kristiansen, is answered as follows:
– I have not read it and can not say anything about something I have not seen.
– It says on Moxnes’ Facebook page. Can you read it and possibly call me back?
– I do not think so now. I have just come home and have some animals to feed, he says.
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