Peace and Justice (Norway)

  1. Home
  2. Wiki
Not to be confused with the 2018 South Korean parliamentary grouping Peace and Justice.

Peace and Justice
Fred og Rettferdighet
LeaderMarielle Leraand [no]
FoundedMay 2023
Registered6 November 2024[1]
Split fromRed Party[2]
HeadquartersOslo, Norway
Website
partiet-for.no

Peace and Justice (Norwegian: Fred og Rettferdighet, FOR) is a Norwegian political party registered in 2024.[1] It was founded in May 2023 by Marielle Leraand [no], the former deputy leader of the Red Party,[3] after the Red Party supported Norwegian arms deliveries to Ukraine in its national convention following the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Peace and Justice ran in all 19 constituencies in the 2025 Norwegian parliamentary election.

The party's name and inspiration come from Jeremy Corbyn's Peace & Justice Project. Positioning itself as anti-war and pacifist, it has opposed Norwegian arms deliveries to Ukraine and supports peace negotiations between Russia and Ukraine.[4] The party is also opposed to NATO and the EU.[5]

It has been accused of promoting pro-Russian policies and Russian disinformation narratives during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[6][7][8][9] Since its founding in 2023, the party has come under scrutiny for its funding ties to Atle Berge, who financed the party’s high-profile 2025 pro-Russian election campaign that attacked Norwegian support for Ukraine.[10][11][12][13][14][15][16] One of the party's main candidates and the figurehead of the election campaign, Glenn Diesen, has been criticized for promoting Russian propaganda for several years.[17][18]

FOR's youth party, named Young Anti-Imperialism, was founded during the party's national convention in May 2025.[5]

Views and policies

[edit]

The party has positioned itself as pacifist and is critical of Norwegian military aid to Ukraine. It is anti-Zionist and supports boycotts of Israel, claiming that Israel contributes to Islamophobia through its relationship with Palestine. It is also against economic sanctions on Venezuela, Syria and Iran and wants to give asylum to Edward Snowden and other whistleblowers.[19]

It opposes the EU, EEA, NATO and other "undemocratic supranational bodies" and believes that free immigration from the EU leads to social dumping. It is against American military bases in Norway and claims that slimming down the military budget can finance welfare benefits such as free dental care, free kindergarten and after-school care, free school meals and all sports and cultural activities for children and young people.[19]

It wants to close down the Norwegian Police Security Service and Norwegian Intelligence Service. It is against oil exploration and believes that renewable energy can only be built where this does not conflict with nature conservation. It wants the Sámi Parliament to be given the right of veto against all encroachments on nature in traditional Sámi lands.[19]

The party has been accused of adopting a rhetoric that aligns closely with Russia’s justifications for its invasion of Ukraine. Peace and Justice has drawn sharp criticism from across the Norwegian political spectrum, including accusations of operating as a de facto conduit for Russian disinformation operations in Norway. Critics argue that the party’s messaging serves to undermine Western unity and public support for Ukraine by promoting false equivalences and relativizing Russia’s aggression.[6][7][8] Numerous political commentators and members of parliament have accused Peace and Justice of acting as a mouthpiece for Russian interests. Jørn Sund-Henriksen, the leader of the Norwegian-Ukrainian friendship association,[20] characterizes the party as a Russian proxy operating within the framework of hybrid warfare. He argues that its messaging, activities, funding, and use of Russian disinformation align with known Russian intelligence strategies aimed at eroding public trust, destabilizing democratic institutions, and weakening support for Ukraine.[21]

Mulonda Rashidi, the leader of FOR's youth party, Young Anti-Imperialism, has expressed support for North Korea, which he described as "one of the freest and most democratic countries in the world."[22]

The party has received praise from the neo-Nazi organization Vigrid.[23]

Campaigning and funding

[edit]

In May 2025, Peace and Justice launched an expensive and controversial advertising campaign for the 2025 Norwegian parliamentary election on Oslo’s public transport network with pictures of Leraand (candidate for the constituency of Oslo) and Glenn Diesen (candidate for constituency of Akershus), criticizing Norway’s financial and military support for Ukraine. The campaign, which featured slogans opposing the government’s 85 billion-kroner aid package to Kyiv, was widely denounced as a propaganda stunt. The party initially refused to disclose who had financed the 1.4 million kroner campaign, later revealed to be controversial Russian-based billionaire Atle Berge. The incident triggered an investigation by the Norwegian Party Law Committee, which found that it all seem to be done according to Norwegian law.[24][25] The advertising posters for FOR on the subway in Oslo were torn down in many places shortly after they were hung up.[26] Mathilde Tybring-Gjedde of the Conservative Party described the party’s advertisements as “an echo of Russian propaganda,” a sentiment echoed in national media coverage.[6][7][8]

Election results

[edit]

Storting

[edit]
Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Position Status
2025 Marielle Leraand 9,430 0.29
0 / 169
 New 15th Extra-parliamentary

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Nøkkelopplysninger fra Enhetsregisteret". Brønnøysund Register Centre. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  2. ^ Fure Briceño, Laurita; Røli, Olav (11 June 2025). "Fem nye parti: Gyda vil la folket bestemme – kvar dag" [Five new parties: Gyda wants to let the people decide – every day]. NRK News (in Norwegian Nynorsk). Oslo: NRK. Retrieved 25 August 2025.
  3. ^ "Valla hyller ny og viktig venn". VG. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  4. ^ "Organisasjonen FOR, «Fred og rettferdighet», stifta. Skal bli parti!". Politikus (in Norwegian Bokmål). 22 May 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  5. ^ a b Ibsen, Alexander Z. (28 May 2025). "(+) Nyslått ungdomspartileder: – De som kaller FOR for et krigsparti, er de som tjener penger på krig". minerva.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  6. ^ a b c Fjeld, Johannes (18 May 2025). "Raser mot kampanje: - Nytt lavmål". www.dagbladet.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  7. ^ a b c Bédos Ulvin, Philippe (17 May 2025). "Reagerer: –⁠ Ekko av russisk propaganda". www.vg.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Archived from the original on 21 May 2025. Retrieved 19 May 2025.
  8. ^ a b c Ibsen, Alexander Z. (29 February 2024). "(+) Et nytt parti skal stiftes i Norge, inspirert av Mads Gilbert og Glenn Diesen". www.minerva.no (in Norwegian Bokmål). Retrieved 18 May 2025.
  9. ^ "Sto på stand med russisk flagg". 21 May 2025.
  10. ^ "Norsk betong-milliardær til VG: Har gitt millionbeløp til omstridt kampanje". VG. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  11. ^ "Atle Berge til TV 2: – Jeg har gitt og skal gi ytterligere beløp til partiet FOR". TV2. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  12. ^ "Nordmann med tette bånd til Russland bak pengegave som finansierte omstridt reklame på T-banen". Vårt Oslo. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  13. ^ "Betongmilliardær ga pengestøtte til parti bak omstridt reklamekampanje". DN. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  14. ^ "Atle Berge finansierte omstridt reklamekampanje på T-banen i Oslo". Bygg. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  15. ^ "Betong-milliardær Atle Berge har finansiert reklamekampanjen på T-banen i Oslo". Aftenbladet. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  16. ^ "Milliardær Atle Berge har sponset partiet For med beløp i millionklassen". Aftenposten. Retrieved 20 May 2025.
  17. ^ Lytomt Norum, Marie; Klungtveit, Harald S. "Norsk professor fikk reisen betalt av Putin-tilknyttet stiftelse: Ført opp som medlem av tankesmie som skal motvirke sanksjoner" [Norwegian professor had his trip paid for by Putin-linked foundation: Listed as a member of think tank that will counter sanctions]. Filter Nyheter [no]. Retrieved 17 May 2025. Diesen har tidligere fått kritikk for å være bidragsyter hos RT, som i dag er et viktig verktøy for den russiske staten i internasjonal propaganda om Ukraina-krigen og tilstøtende forhold. [Diesen has previously received criticism for being a contributor to RT, which is today an important tool for the Russian state in international propaganda about the Ukraine war and related matters.]
  18. ^ "Professor skulda for russisk propaganda vil inn på Stortinget". Klassekampen. Retrieved 21 May 2025.
  19. ^ a b c "Politikk". Fred og rettferdighet - FOR (in Norwegian Bokmål). 14 April 2024. Retrieved 28 August 2025.
  20. ^ Norwegian-Ukrainian friendship association
  21. ^ Jørn Sund-Henriksen. "Da hybridkrigen kom på TV". Nettavisen. Retrieved 28 May 2025.
  22. ^ "Lederen i FORs ungdomsparti hyller Nord-Korea". VG. Retrieved 30 May 2025.
  23. ^ "Vigrid med støtte til partiet FOR". Minerva. Retrieved 23 May 2025.
  24. ^ Partilovnemnda om FOR: – Foreløpig ser alt ut til å være lovlig finansiert, 27. mai 2025, NRK
  25. ^ Loe, Isak Løve Pilskog; Flydal, Eiliv Frich (13 August 2025). "Russland ønsket stortingskandidat til påvirkningsoperasjon". VG (in Norwegian). Retrieved 2 September 2025. By far the biggest contributor to the party is Norwegian Atle Berge , who lives in Murmansk much of the year. Berge has previously boasted of meetings with "high powers" in Russia and has called aid from Norwegian civilians to Ukraine "lots of good bombing targets."
  26. ^ Hem, Ane (19 May 2025). "Partiplakater fra For revet ned – Sporveien ber folk la plakatene henge i fred". TV 2 (in Norwegian). Retrieved 28 August 2025.