SOS Rasisme
Encyclopedia
SOS Rasisme is a Norwegian
activist organisation, whose stated goal is to reduce racism
in society. It was founded in 1985, inspired by the French SOS Racisme
. The first years the organization was a part of Antirastisk center, another anti-racist organization, but in the early 1990s it became independent.
SOS Rasisme was co-founded by Kristin Halvorsen
, who later became Minister of Finances from 2005 to 2009.
It reports to be Europe's largest anti-racist member organization, with more than 40 000 members.
It is a democratic organization, with new leadership elected every two years.
Current leader is Trond Thorbjørnsen, re-elected at the organizations 11.th National Assembly in 2008.
SOS Rasisme claims to have more than 270 local chapters all over Norway.
claimed that SOS Rasisme was dominated and influenced by people on the far left in Norwegian politics, and questioned whether the large number of members was actually correct or a falsification. SOS Rasisme denies all claims that their membership numbers are false.
On September 9, 2009, Norwegian radio station P4
ran a story claiming that five of the leaders of SOS Rasisme are also high-ranking members of a revolutionary Communist organisation called Tjen Folket
. P4 quotes Khalid Salimi, the founder of SOS Rasisme, as saying he was ousted from the organisation by the communists, and that SOS Rasisme is currently run almost exclusively by white Norwegian communists. Salimi estimates that there are actually more "black" people in the Progress Party
, a Norwegian political party with an immigration sceptic agenda, than in SOS Rasisme.
In October 2009, the firm KPMG
carried out an audit of SOS Rasisme's membership lists in three norwegian cities. The investigation found that about half of the people on the membership list, which was used as a basis for calculating public funding, denied being members of SOS Rasisme. The report also found several instances of infants younger than one year of age being signed up as members by older family members.
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
activist organisation, whose stated goal is to reduce racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
in society. It was founded in 1985, inspired by the French SOS Racisme
SOS Racisme
SOS Racisme is a French anti-racist NGO, founded in 1984. Its Spanish counterpart, SOS Racismo, is based in Barcelona.-Activities:SOS Racisme's main goal is to fight racial discrimination. Often the plaintiff in discrimination trials, the organization also offers support to immigrants and racial...
. The first years the organization was a part of Antirastisk center, another anti-racist organization, but in the early 1990s it became independent.
SOS Rasisme was co-founded by Kristin Halvorsen
Kristin Halvorsen
Kristin Halvorsen is a Norwegian socialist politician and was the Minister of Finance from 17 October 2005 until 20 October 2009. She is now the Minister of Education in Stoltenberg's second cabinet....
, who later became Minister of Finances from 2005 to 2009.
It reports to be Europe's largest anti-racist member organization, with more than 40 000 members.
It is a democratic organization, with new leadership elected every two years.
Current leader is Trond Thorbjørnsen, re-elected at the organizations 11.th National Assembly in 2008.
SOS Rasisme claims to have more than 270 local chapters all over Norway.
Criticism of SOS Rasisme
On January 16, 2006, the Norwegian newspaper Dagens NæringslivDagens Næringsliv
Dagens Næringsliv, commonly known as DN, is a Norwegian tabloid specializing in business reporting with a claimed daily circulation of 82,775 copies in 2008, making it the 8th largest newspaper in Norway. The editor in chief is Amund Djuve. Its name is Norwegian for "Today's Business".Originally...
claimed that SOS Rasisme was dominated and influenced by people on the far left in Norwegian politics, and questioned whether the large number of members was actually correct or a falsification. SOS Rasisme denies all claims that their membership numbers are false.
On September 9, 2009, Norwegian radio station P4
P4 Radio Hele Norge
P4 Radio Hele Norge AS Norway's leading national, private radio station with 24% national market share, about one million daily listeners and two million weekly....
ran a story claiming that five of the leaders of SOS Rasisme are also high-ranking members of a revolutionary Communist organisation called Tjen Folket
Serve the People (Norway)
Serve the People – Communist League is a Marxist-Leninist-Maoist Norwegian political organization formed in 1998 by members expelled from the Workers' Communist Party. Its main aim is to create a new communist party in Norway based on Marxism-Leninism-Maoism...
. P4 quotes Khalid Salimi, the founder of SOS Rasisme, as saying he was ousted from the organisation by the communists, and that SOS Rasisme is currently run almost exclusively by white Norwegian communists. Salimi estimates that there are actually more "black" people in the Progress Party
Progress Party (Norway)
The Progress Party is a political party in Norway which identifies as conservative liberal and libertarian. The media has described it as conservative and right-wing populist...
, a Norwegian political party with an immigration sceptic agenda, than in SOS Rasisme.
Withdrawal of public funding in 2010
On March 1, 2010, Landsrådet for Norges Barne- og ungdomsorganisasjoner (Public council for Norwegian child and youth organisations) announced that they were withdrawing public funding given to SOS Rasisme. The reason was that the number of members and local chapters reported by SOS Rasisme seemed to be incorrect, and they were in doubt about whether the money to the organization was going out to the local chapters. It was uncovered that SOS Rasisme had used the money to buy real estate by channeling state grants through a company called Aktivisteiendom AS (Activist Property). It was also uncovered that SOS Rasisme offered a so-called "family membership", where members could enroll members of their family into SOS Rasisme simply by stating their first name, without any documentation that the family members in question even existed or were willing to join the organisation. Government funding of SOS Rasisme was based on the total number of members. The treasurer of SOS Rasisme, Kjell Gunnar Larsen, denies any wrongdoing, and claims that the probe carried out by LNU is part of an organised campaign by far-right groups.In October 2009, the firm KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
carried out an audit of SOS Rasisme's membership lists in three norwegian cities. The investigation found that about half of the people on the membership list, which was used as a basis for calculating public funding, denied being members of SOS Rasisme. The report also found several instances of infants younger than one year of age being signed up as members by older family members.