Knut Henning Thygesen
Encyclopedia
Knut Henning Thygesen is a Norwegian author
and politician
for the Red Party
. He was elected as mayor
of Risør on 11 September 2007 in a direct mayor election as part of the 2007 municipal election with 44.5% of the votes. He is the only mayor ever for Red or any of its predecessors.
from the Norwegian Institute of Technology
in Trondheim
where he among other things was editor of the student newspaper Under Dusken
. After two years he moved to Bærum
and started training as a construction worker
. After finishing his qualifications he moved back to Risør. He spent 1979 in the Royal Norwegian Army. He has worked as a construction worker, architect, teacher and as an author since.
and environmentalism
. He was heavily engaged in the protests against the planned nuclear power plant
s that were suggested built in Risør.
Both in Trondheim, Bærum and in the army he studied marxism
and environmentalism. He protested the Soviet Union
's suppression of Eastern Europe
an countries. In 1978 he joined Red Youth
(RU) and created one of the largest RU chapters in the country. He also for a shorter period was a member of the Workers' Communist Party
.
Tygesen was to candidate for Red Electoral Alliance
(what is now Red) for the first time in the 1983 election, but was not elected. But in the 1987 election he was elected and was elected for the sixth time in 2007 election. The last period he has also sat on the executive board. He was elected directly as mayor in the 2007 as the first mayor for Red in history.
Author
An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...
and politician
Politician
A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...
for the Red Party
Red (Norway)
The Red Party is a Norwegian far-left political party and the leading party to the left of the Socialist Left and the Labour Party in Norway. Since 2007 the party has sought a seat in Parliament; the only counties in which they have a realistic chance of earning a seat are Oslo and Hordaland...
. He was elected as mayor
Mayor
In many countries, a Mayor is the highest ranking officer in the municipal government of a town or a large urban city....
of Risør on 11 September 2007 in a direct mayor election as part of the 2007 municipal election with 44.5% of the votes. He is the only mayor ever for Red or any of its predecessors.
Biography
He started education as an architectArchitect
An architect is a person trained in the planning, design and oversight of the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to offer or render services in connection with the design and construction of a building, or group of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the...
from the Norwegian Institute of Technology
Norwegian Institute of Technology
The Norwegian Institute of Technology, known by its Norwegian abbrevation NTH was a science institute in Trondheim, Norway. It was established in 1910, and existed as an independent technical university for 85 years, after which it was merged into the University of Trondheim as an independent...
in Trondheim
Trondheim
Trondheim , historically, Nidaros and Trondhjem, is a city and municipality in Sør-Trøndelag county, Norway. With a population of 173,486, it is the third most populous municipality and city in the country, although the fourth largest metropolitan area. It is the administrative centre of...
where he among other things was editor of the student newspaper Under Dusken
Under dusken
Under Dusken is the official student newspaper in Trondheim, Norway, with a circulation of 10,000 copies.Founded in 1914, it is Scandinavia's oldest student newspaper, and the second largest student newspaper in Norway after Oslo's Universitas....
. After two years he moved to Bærum
Bærum
is a municipality in Akershus county, Norway. The administrative centre of the municipality is the town of Sandvika. Bærum was established as a municipality on 1 January 1838. A suburb of Oslo, Bærum is located on the west coast of the city....
and started training as a construction worker
Construction worker
A construction worker or builder is a professional, tradesman, or labourer who directly participates in the physical construction of infrastructure.-Construction trades:...
. After finishing his qualifications he moved back to Risør. He spent 1979 in the Royal Norwegian Army. He has worked as a construction worker, architect, teacher and as an author since.
Politics
Thygesen's interest for politics started at upper secondary school in the early 1970s, with the three topics Norwegian EEC membership, the protest against the Vietnam WarVietnam War
The Vietnam War was a Cold War-era military conflict that occurred in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. This war followed the First Indochina War and was fought between North Vietnam, supported by its communist allies, and the government of...
and environmentalism
Environmentalism
Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology and social movement regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment, particularly as the measure for this health seeks to incorporate the concerns of non-human elements...
. He was heavily engaged in the protests against the planned nuclear power plant
Nuclear power plant
A nuclear power plant is a thermal power station in which the heat source is one or more nuclear reactors. As in a conventional thermal power station the heat is used to generate steam which drives a steam turbine connected to a generator which produces electricity.Nuclear power plants are usually...
s that were suggested built in Risør.
Both in Trondheim, Bærum and in the army he studied marxism
Marxism
Marxism is an economic and sociopolitical worldview and method of socioeconomic inquiry that centers upon a materialist interpretation of history, a dialectical view of social change, and an analysis and critique of the development of capitalism. Marxism was pioneered in the early to mid 19th...
and environmentalism. He protested the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
's suppression of Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe
Eastern Europe is the eastern part of Europe. The term has widely disparate geopolitical, geographical, cultural and socioeconomic readings, which makes it highly context-dependent and even volatile, and there are "almost as many definitions of Eastern Europe as there are scholars of the region"...
an countries. In 1978 he joined Red Youth
Red Youth (Norway)
Red Youth is a Norwegian revolutionary youth league. It is the youth organization of the party Red and former Red Electoral Alliance and the Workers' Communist Party. The current leader of Red Youth is Iver Aastebøl.-Politics:...
(RU) and created one of the largest RU chapters in the country. He also for a shorter period was a member of the Workers' Communist Party
Workers' Communist Party (Norway)
The Workers' Communist Party was a Norwegian communist party . AKP was a maoist party and one of two communist parties in Norway; the other was the older Communist Party of Norway which has remained pro-Soviet. The relationship between the two parties was characterized by strong hostility.AKP was...
.
Tygesen was to candidate for Red Electoral Alliance
Red Electoral Alliance
Red Electoral Alliance was an alliance of left-wing groups formed into a Norwegian political party to promote revolutionary far-left ideals into the Norwegian parliament...
(what is now Red) for the first time in the 1983 election, but was not elected. But in the 1987 election he was elected and was elected for the sixth time in 2007 election. The last period he has also sat on the executive board. He was elected directly as mayor in the 2007 as the first mayor for Red in history.