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Fighter jet Christmas cookie uproar in Norway

The Local Norway
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Fighter jet Christmas cookie uproar in Norway
The 'offensive' post to the left was followed by an 'apology' post of a heart cookie. Photos: Instagram/Regjeringen

The Norwegian government felt compelled to apologize for an Instagram post after users complained that it was inappropriate.

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Ahh, Christmas. A time for sipping gløgg and baking cookies in the shape of hearts, Father Christmas and snowmen. And, if you’re the Norwegian government, F-35 fighter jets. 
 
A photo posted to the government’s official Instagram profile on Monday showed traditional Christmas ginger snap cookies shaped like fighter jets. 
 
 

A photo posted by regjeringen (@regjeringen) on Dec 7, 2015 at 6:49am PST

 
The image split the waters amongst the profile’s followers, with many people saying that association war machines and Christmas was inappropriate. 
 
 
“Sad. Is this a parady account?” Terje Håkstad wrote. 
 
“These ginger snaps come at a bad time, as the US is pressuring Norway to join the bomb attacks in Syria,” Intagram user Turabilder wrote. 
 
“This sure is something one of a kind. Vulgar!” wrote another user. 
 
 
Far from everyone, however, found the cookies offensive. Many came to the government’s defence and said that people were being too sensitive. 
 
“When people react negatively to some ginger snaps shaped like fighter jets, they really need to find something more important to do than sit on the internet and make comments,” Øystein Hansen wrote. 
 
“Fighter jets are an important part of the Norwegian defence and most of us are happy that they exist and that the jets are piloted by professionals. You insult the entire country by getting offended over every single little thing that doesn’t match your self-observed perception of reality,” Simon Aksnes wrote. 
 
Despite many users coming to its defence, the government apologized for the photo in a subsequent post that featured a heart-shaped cookie. 
 
“A government account on Instagram also has a heart. We understand that many people reacted to the post of fighter jet cookies and we of course once again apologize. This account is the government’s official presence on Instagram and each department uses it to show things both big and small from everyday life. A continued Merry Christmas to our followers,” the government wrote. 
 
 

A photo posted by regjeringen (@regjeringen) on Dec 7, 2015 at 2:32pm PST

 
Norway received its first two F-35 stealth fighter planes in September, making it the fourth Nato country after the UK, Netherlands and US, to take delivery of the controversial aircraft.
 
 

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