Norway cop fired for insulting PM online
Richard Orange - [email protected] •
2 Sep, 2013
Updated Mon 2 Sep 2013 08:19 CEST
A Norwegian policeman has been sacked after he called Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg "krapylet", which roughly translates as "the creep" or "the filth", on Facebook.
"Krapylet has ruled for eight years without achieving anything but decay," Stein-Robin Kleven Bergh, who is also a politician for the anti-immigrant Progress Party, wrote on his page. Tormod Bakke, the chief of police in Hedmark, confirmed that Bergh had been dismissed after an analysis of his use of Facebook, with this post and others deemed to have contravened police guidelines. "We have rules for the use of social media, and they require that one should show respect in all exchanges. This message about "krapyl" goes way over the limit." He said it was irrelevant either which side of the political divide the target was on, or how senior they were. "As a public servant, you have an obligation to show loyalty to your superiors. But one should show respect to everyone, both those you agree with and disagree with. In my opinion, this post totally lacked respect," Bakke said. Bergh, who has a 30-year career in the police behind him, is appealing his dismissal. "I stand for my comments. We do not live in a totalitarian state," he said.
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"Krapylet has ruled for eight years without achieving anything but decay," Stein-Robin Kleven Bergh, who is also a politician for the anti-immigrant Progress Party, wrote on his page.
Tormod Bakke, the chief of police in Hedmark, confirmed that Bergh had been dismissed after an analysis of his use of Facebook, with this post and others deemed to have contravened police guidelines.
"We have rules for the use of social media, and they require that one should show respect in all exchanges. This message about "krapyl" goes way over the limit."
He said it was irrelevant either which side of the political divide the target was on, or how senior they were.
"As a public servant, you have an obligation to show loyalty to your superiors. But one should show respect to everyone, both those you agree with and disagree with. In my opinion, this post totally lacked respect," Bakke said.
Bergh, who has a 30-year career in the police behind him, is appealing his dismissal.
"I stand for my comments. We do not live in a totalitarian state," he said.
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