With slogans such as “Hands off Venezuela” and “Hands off Cuba”, and claims that capitalism hinders women’s rights, the organisation Latin-Amerikagruppene (LAG) has received around NOK 100 million through the aid budget.
Nearly half of the money goes to political activism in Norway with a clear anchoring on the left. The remainder is used for “solidarity brigades” which consist of travelling to Latin America and visiting social movements, where one may take part in agricultural work, communal voluntary labour (dugnad) or in other contexts organised by the solidarity brigades. Around 480 members are sponsored annually with almost NOK 10,000 each.
Do you wish to engage in left-wing activism and become part of the revolutionary spirit of Latin America, with role models such as Che Guevara, Fidel Castro and Hugo Chávez? Then the organisation Latin-Amerikagruppene (LAG) has an offer that will likely appeal. Here one can find financing to act as Anti-Trumpers on behalf of both Cuba and Venezuela and travel on a solidarity expedition to like-minded individuals in Latin America.
LAG describes itself as a membership-based solidarity organisation. Its principal activity is to support social movements in Latin America and to conduct information work in Norway concerning Latin American social and political conditions. However, membership subscriptions are not sufficient for this. There were only 481 paying members as of February 2025, a decline from 565 the year before. Historically, the organisation had 756 members, but that was back in 2010.
The ordinary membership fee is NOK 450, while student/low-income/pensioner membership costs NOK 150. This means that membership income lies somewhere between NOK 72,000 and NOK 216,000 per year, if last year’s membership figures are used as the basis. It likely lies at the lower end of this interval, as students appear to dominate the membership base.
Saved by aid millions
However, a declining membership and falling income from membership subscriptions present no obstacle for LAG. In 2024 they received NOK 4.7 million through the aid budget. This means that each member was sponsored with almost NOK 10,000 by Norad, which corresponded to 22 times an ordinary membership fee. Document does not have the overview necessary to confirm whether this constitutes a record for Norwegian membership-based organisations. But we welcome tips.
The assistance from Norad has been ongoing since 1999, when they received slightly over NOK 1 million. In total, during the period 1999–2024 they have received NOK 97.1 million. The figures for 2025 are not yet available, but if they are approximately the same as those for 2024 the organisation LAG has received more than NOK 100 million.
Aid funds to LAG 1999–2024. Source: Norad.
Solidarity, sisterhood and socialism
On the website we can read about the “Solidarity Quilt” (“Solidaritetsteppet”), a project that seeks to present Latin-Amerikagruppene’s 40-year history of solidarity. The aim of the work is to visualise the labour and dedication of a large network of people who move, both physically and politically, bound together by the idea that it is possible to organise in order to change the world.
On the quilt appear the slogans “Solidaridad, Sororidar, Sosialismo”, which translated from Spanish mean solidarity, sisterhood and socialism.
LAG has its background in the Solidarity Committee for Chile (Solidaritetskomiteen for Chile), which was established by politically active individuals on the left. The background was the military coup against the radical but democratically elected president Salvador Allende in 1973, when the dictator Augusto Pinochet took power and held it until 1990. Under Pinochet approximately 3,200 people were killed by the authorities. He stepped down after Chile had conducted free elections. In 2010 Chile became a member of the OECD, as the only Latin American country. Chile must therefore be regarded as a very positive exception on the Latin American continent.
The direct opposites of Chile are Venezuela and Cuba. In Venezuela under Chávez, and particularly under Nicolás Maduro since 2014, an estimated 20,000 people have been killed by the regime. But this is drowned out in the Marxist activism of the organisation LAG. The situation is hardly much better in Cuba. Yet the major threat to the people of Latin America, if LAG is to be believed, is President Donald Trump.
Has not responded
The managing director of LAG, Eirin Høiseth, was not particularly willing to speak about LAG when Document made contact.
Therefore we sent an email request. After two days we have not received any reply. The email read as follows:
Hello
As mentioned, we are focusing on the aid budget in the wake of the Epstein revelations, the IPI and USAID scandals. There is enormous public demand to find out what the aid budget is used for and what one receives in return. In 2024 there were no fewer than 95 Norwegian non-governmental organisations that together received NOK 7.7 billion through the aid budget. One of these was LAG. Document has so far written about several of them. And we are systematically going through the entire list.
According to Norad, LAG has received NOK 97.1 million through the aid budget since 1999. In 2024 you received NOK 4.7 million.
From the statistics under “sector” it appears that NOK 45.4 million, i.e. 46.7% of expenditure, falls into the category “Costs in Norway and unspecified”. Norad also shows the geographical distribution of the funds. If we select the years 2021–2024, NOK 7.2 million out of a total of NOK 15.3 million (46.9%) fall under the same category – “Costs in Norway and unspecified”.
While the historical distribution of funds used in Latin America is registered in Brazil, El Salvador, Colombia, Bolivia, Guatemala, Nicaragua and Mexico, the expenditure in 2021–24 outside Norway has taken place in “America Regional”.
The first three questions are:
Why should Norwegian taxpayers finance an organisation such as yours?
How much did LAG receive through the aid budget in 2025?
What is the most important result achieved through the use of these aid funds?
When I read up on LAG it is, as I mentioned in our conversation, clear that LAG is an activist group with a strong affiliation on the left.
In addition to conducting information work – propaganda for a left-wing political understanding of Latin America in Norway – you send people – “volunteers” on exchanges. You mentioned Brazil, Colombia and Guatemala. I assume these are the “Solidarity Brigades” which are described as follows: “a collective designation for different types of international work. These are often but not exclusively associated with groupings on the left side of the political spectrum.”
We are asking our readers and on social media whether it is the task of taxpayers to finance political activism through the aid budget.
“Solidarity, sisterhood, socialism” appears to be the motto of what you call the “Solidarity Quilt”, according to your website.
In this connection I have some questions in order to see what positions LAG holds regarding current issues in Latin America.
Jair Bolsonaro (70) was last autumn sentenced to 27 years in prison. What is LAG’s view of that judgment?
The foundation of LAG was the coup against Allende in 1973. Under Pinochet’s military dictatorship from 1973–1990 approximately 3,200 people were killed or disappeared. Chile became a member of the OECD in 2010 as the only Latin American country. Despite a bloody history that is not unusual for Latin American countries – and Chile is certainly not the worst – Chile today must be described as the most successful country in Latin America.
Under the Chávez/Maduro regime in Venezuela (1999–2026), especially under Maduro, several tens of thousands have been killed. HRW estimates 20,000 extrajudicial killings since 2014. Eight million Venezuelans have fled the country. You operate with two slogans against US intervention against the Venezuelan regime. You argue with reference to international law in defence of the most bloodthirsty regime in Latin America, and you give clear support to the communist dictatorship in Cuba.
Could you briefly explain to the average Norwegian taxpayer why you give explicit support to Venezuela and Cuba?
President Nayib Bukele in El Salvador has curbed crime so that ordinary Salvadorans can move safely in the streets of San Salvador. What does LAG believe is the success behind this?
In Argentina under President Javier Milei the country has moved from hyperinflation of over 200% to annual inflation of around 30%. Despite a harsh economic cure, the economy is slowly but surely improving and Milei still enjoys solid support. What is LAG’s view of Milei?
Mexico is, after Venezuela, the most misgoverned and corrupt country in Latin America, where the cartels hold the real power. What does LAG believe must be done in Mexico to put an end to the drug cartels?
You refer to women’s struggle in Colombia, where you refer to women’s movements in Kurdistan. Since you referred to Kurdistan, which is a region that to a large extent extends into Iran, I asked Eirin where you stand regarding women’s struggle in Iran. But she would not answer because LAG focuses on Latin America. Such a response is perceived as conveniently evasive for someone positioned on the political left, given the attacks by the United States and Israel on the Islamic Republic of Iran, which according to Amnesty International is among the most oppressive societies for women in the world today.
In what way do you believe women’s movements from Iran (Kurdistan) will strengthen the joint struggle against patriarchy, colonialism and capitalism in Colombia?
In what way does LAG believe that capitalism is an obstacle to women’s rights?
It is up to you whether you wish to leave the questions unanswered or not.