The war over Iran has reached the streets of Norway. Supporters of the regime cannot tolerate seeing others express support for the liberation of the country; they attack openly in the street. That happened on Saturday in Oslo, very close to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (Utenriksdepartementet, UD). On her Facebook page, Shamaneh Nemati recounts what happened.

I am writing this because I feel a social responsibility to recount an incident I experienced in Oslo on Saturday 7 March. What I experienced shows that conflicts and hatred connected to the Islamic regime in Iran can also play out in Norwegian streets.

Freedom of expression is a fundamental value in Norway. But it must not become an excuse for threats, hatred or violence against people who express a different view.

On Saturday 7 March I participated in a demonstration in front of the Nobel Peace Center (Nobels Fredssenter) to show support for the Iranian people who are fighting for freedom and democracy. The theme of the demonstration was “The end has begun”. I brought with me a small Iranian flag – the flag with the lion and the sun, which was Iran’s national flag before the revolution in 1979.

After the demonstration I walked towards Henrik Ibsens gate to meet some friends at a café by the Royal Palace (Slottet). As I passed the area by the Norwegian Directorate of Immigration (Utlendingsdirektoratet, UDI), I noticed another demonstration. This demonstration expressed support for the Islamic regime in Iran. There was a police presence and several police vehicles at the location. Approximately 50 metres after I had passed UDI I continued along the pavement with the flag in my hand. In the area around me there were several people who apparently came from the demonstration.

Suddenly two men came towards me – one who spoke Persian and one who spoke Arabic. They began shouting insults at me both in Norwegian and in Persian. One of them called me, among other things, an “American whore”, and the other threatened to beat me. I replied that this is not permitted in Norway and that I would go to the police.

The situation escalated quickly. The Iranian man tore the flag out of my hand, struck me with it and broke the flagpole in two.

He also threatened to strangle and kill me.

I then ran towards the police and shouted for help.

I eventually found a police officer and asked for help. When we went back to the place where the incident had occurred, the men were gone and my flag had been taken.

I was so shaken that I asked the police to accompany me to the café where I was to meet friends. The incident left me both frightened and shaken. I later called my husband to come and collect me, because I was afraid that the same persons might be in the area.

The reason I am sharing this is not to create fear, but to make people aware of what can in fact happen in Norwegian streets. No one should be threatened or attacked for carrying a flag or expressing support for freedom and democracy.

The conflict between Iran’s regime and the Iranian people is serious. But threats and violence must never gain a foothold in Norway. Norway shall be a country where people can express themselves without fear. That is why I believe it is important to recount such incidents.

When we do not hear about such incidents in the mainstream media, it may be because they are experienced as uncomfortable. The media themselves are ambivalent. They are unable to take an unreserved side with the Iranian people. The anti-imperialist impulse runs too deep.

Mina Bai knows the Norwegian left inside out.

The question is who protects the freedom of expression of Iranians here in Norway? We have fled from violent ayatollahs, and here we are not safe either!

Several exiled Iranians have recently experienced being harassed and threatened because they criticise the regime and are glad that Khamenei is dead?

Is there a journalist here who can write about this?

On how many fronts must we fight

It is exhausting.