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– I can not attest to the madness they represent. I have experienced members hanging up on me online because I follow FHI’s coronary advice and wear face masks. They believe the pandemic is a conspiracy theory, Andreassen says.
NOISE: When Sian demonstrates, she is usually met by even larger counter-demonstrations.
Photo: Roy Hilmar Svendsen / NRK
She thinks this caused the cup to overflow.
– Many in Sian have become very extreme. I’ve never been. And I walk away from all hatred. He also hated Muslims. I had a bad taste in my mouth on November 16 of last year. I was against burning the Quran. I ended up getting beaten, Andreassen says.
Later, the police arrested Sian when they tried to burn the Koran during a demonstration in Kristiansand. The group is known to believe that Islam is destroying Norwegian society.
Still critical of Islam
Andreassen says she is still critical of Islam, even though she has chosen not to participate.
– It is not Islam as a religion in itself that is destructive. It is they who practice the error that is destructive. They must relate to our western values. Unfortunately, there are more that do not. And by that I mean social control, terror and Koranic schools, he says.
The advertised activist moved in September from Oslo to Jæren in Rogaland. He has had a lot of time to think there. And the announcement did not come spontaneously.
– I’ve been thinking about this all year. Now I have everything at a distance. I’ve made some wrong decisions in life, but it’s never too late to turn around, says Andreassen, who advises others not to become members of Sian or similar groups.
– People should at least think about it. It costs you your freedom. Now I have regained that freedom.
Stop The Islamization of Norway (Sian) has participated in recent months in demonstrations against the closure of Norway as a result of the crown crisis.
He had close contact with neo-Nazis.
In 2011, Andreassen was the leader of the anti-Islamic group Norwegian Defense League (NDL). After July 22, he came out and warned against that group.
– Your previous history shows that you have made similar statements and therefore still within these settings, says Lars Erik Berntzen, a researcher at the Extremism Research Center.
Berntzen says she is one of the longest-sailing activists in Norway on the far right and has been active for more than ten years.
I DON’T WANT TO SPECULAR: Lars Erik Berntzen doesn’t want to speculate on whether Andreassen really distances himself from SIAN’s attitudes, despite his resignation.
Photo: University of Bergen
– You have also maintained a fairly close relationship with the classic right-wing extremists and neo-Nazis. For example, Russian neo-Nazis who are known for their violent brutality, he says.
Berntzen points out that these environments are small, with few involved, and that in addition to friendships, personal conflicts can also arise that can be a reason for someone to choose not to participate.
– He had previously received internal criticism in Sian for having had contact with neo-Nazis, says Berntzen.
I didn’t feel good enough
Having nurtured contact with Russian neo-Nazis is something that Andreassen denies.
– I have never done that. I know a lot of people, yes, but I don’t know any Russian neo-Nazis. On the other hand, some Russian neo-Nazis have threatened me, Andreassen responds.
She herself believes that this week’s announcement cannot be compared to previous situations and refers to the Brennpunkt documentary Infiltratøren.
Lena Marie Andreassen says she has never had anything against Muslims. But he criticizes Islam on an equal footing with other religions.
MOVED TO ROGALAND: In September, former activist Lena Marie Andreassen did a rogalending. In the new year, start a new job.
Photo: Private
– I ended up on this network because I didn’t feel good enough like I did. Here they accepted me and I felt part of something. But now I have realized that I am good enough as I am. I can be myself, she says.
– Do you regret having participated?
– Yes, sometimes you end up in groups because you don’t feel good enough. Now I have admitted to myself that what I have done has not been good for me.
Live with an alarm of violence
After he told Twitter about the announcement, the statements of support have continued.
– I’m completely overwhelmed. I thought no one was going to care, he says.
Andreassen says she has lived in fear of being beaten as long as she took to the streets of Oslo. But he is not afraid of the reactions of the people of Sian.
– I don’t think people dare to do anything. I live with a violence alarm, but I was hoping I could get rid of it now, he says.
Deny insanity
Sian leader Lars Thorsen says there is no insanity in the organization he runs.
– But it’s kind of crazy in the industry we’re in. We are exposed to hatred, and I understand that she doesn’t want to be exposed to the hatred that I am exposed to. I interpret it as she writes.
NO INSANITY: Sian’s leader, Lars Thorsen, does not believe there are unrest in the organization.
Photo: Elisabeth Tøtte Hansen / NRK
– Are there other members who have signed up?
– There is no discomfort in the organization. No other member has been excluded. Thorsen says.
