Far-Right Progress Party (FrP) politician Hagen criticised police, Sunday, for their lengthy investigation into Anders Behring Breivik’s twin massacres. Subsequently claiming that terrorists are mainly Muslims, and receiving broad media coverage for both statements, Hagen then claimed he was misunderstood and deliberately misquoted.
“It would have been better not to express these opinions if I’d known words would be put in my mouth. This is a reminder that my statements are often used by others to pounce on me,” he told VG yesterday.
Anniken Huitfeldt advises others to choose their words carefully in the run-up to next month’s local elections, where ‘old dog’ Hagen is Progress’ candidate for Mayor of Oslo, saying, “I encourage everyone not to make biased attacks against FrP. They will never relinquish the victim’s role once they get hold of it”
“FrP politicians manage to avoid being answerable for their own policies every time they are held accountable for their statements or met with counterarguments, by responding they have been gagged,” she tells Klassekampen.
Minister Huitfeldt claims Progress has never been excluded by other Parties or the media either.
“FrP has been in power in Oslo since 2003, and Carl I. Hagen represents it. It’s also untrue that the Party is muzzled when it comes to the political debate.”
“It’s an old Hagen trick. First, he goes too far, is met with subjective counterarguments, which in turn allows him to masquerade as having been wronged. In this way, he avoids having to take responsibility for his own statements. The tomato-throwers are actually his prime agitators,” concludes the minister.