Max Hermansen

Last updated
Max Hermansen
Born
Max Jarl Hermansen

(1960-05-30) 30 May 1960 (age 63)
NationalityNorwegian
Occupation(s)Activist, former schoolteacher, author and military officer
Organisation Stop Islamisation of Norway
Known forFounder of Pegida Norway

Max Jarl Hermansen (born 30 May 1960) is a Norwegian anti-Muslim activist, former schoolteacher and military officer. He has authored books about military history, and became known in 2015 as the founder and leader of Pegida Norway. [1]

Contents

Background

Hermansen grew up as a military brat in Northern Norway. [2] He later received hovedfag, equivalent to master's degree, in history, [3] and was a naval military officer in the Royal Norwegian Navy, retiring at the rank of orlogskaptein, equivalent to lieutenant commander, in the Norwegian High Command. [4] [5] He was the publisher of the naval military publishing company Sjømilitære Samfund from 2008, until he was forced to resign in 2013 due to his vocal opposition to the Norwegian monarchy. [1] [6] He was also a teacher at Sogn Upper Secondary School, and was then described as "Norway's most active republican". [7] In 2014 he became teacher in social studies at Kuben Upper Secondary School and Etterstad Upper Secondary School, but was replaced after a short time following complaints from students due to his views on Islam. [3]

Political activism

In January 2015, Hermansen gained much media attention for leading a march of 200 people in Oslo against Muslim immigration, inspired by the German Pegida movement. [8] [9] [10] [11] Later the same month, it was announced that he was no longer wanted at his part-time job as teacher at the Oslo Training Office for Service and Transport, due to his "statements and views on Islam". [12] He resigned his position as teacher in early 2016 after a deal with the Oslo education agency, with a final agreement of 1,2 million kr while being banned from applying to teacher positions for five years. [13] Hermansen also ran a used bookstore in Grünerløkka, which he closed in February 2015 after it was vandalised with grafitti. [14]

Hermansen was formerly active in the minor Democrats political party, and was its top candidate for the parliamentary election in Oslo in 2017. [15] He was however expelled from the party in 2019, after new statutes disallowed members who were also active in far-right activist organisations. [16] After Pegida failed to take lasting hold in Norway, with rapidly decreasing numbers of participants [17] [18] despite numerous demonstrations, [1] he has later been an activist of Stop Islamisation of Norway (SIAN). [19]

Bibliography

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References

  1. 1 2 3 Berntzen, Lars Erik (2019). Liberal Roots of Far Right Activism: The Anti-Islamic Movement in the 21st Century. Routledge. p. 174. ISBN   9781000707960.
  2. Kristoffersen, Tor Kjetil (28 March 2015). "Ann-Cathrin er hjertevennen til "Norges største rasist"". iFinnmark (in Norwegian).
  3. 1 2 "Elever klaget på Pegida-talsmann". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). 14 January 2015.
  4. "Ny bok". Sjømilitære Samfund (in Norwegian). 20 December 2012.
  5. "Foreslår å avskaffe verneplikten". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian). NTB. 26 February 1998.
  6. Norheim, Astrid Dalehaug (10 January 2015). "Frykter norsk marsj kan vinne på terroren". Dagen (in Norwegian).
  7. Barth-Heyerdahl, Lars (18 June 2010). "Max kaller apanasjen for "sosialtrygd"". TV2 (in Norwegian).
  8. Bjerve, Gunnhild B. (12 January 2015). "Marsj mot muslimsk innvandring samlet nær 200". Sunnmørsposten (in Norwegian). NTB.
  9. Kristiansen, Bjørn S. (12 January 2015). "- Nei, jeg syns ikke det er grunnlag for å skille mellom islamister og muslimer. Vi må tørre å diskutere den totalitære ideologien islam". Dagbladet (in Norwegian).
  10. Yttervik, Linn K.; Lohne, Jenny (12 January 2015). "Pegida Norge: Varsler ukentlige marsjer mot "muslimsk innvandring og islamsk påvirkning"". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian).
  11. Norheim, Astrid Dalehaug (12 January 2015). "Marsjerte mot islamsk påvirkning". Dagen (in Norwegian).
  12. "Norsk Pegida-leder Max Hermansen mister deltidsjobb". NRK (in Norwegian). 23 January 2015.
  13. Eggesvik, Olav (6 July 2016). "Max Hermansen fikk sluttpakke på 1,2 mill". Aftenposten (in Norwegian).
  14. Jor, Eira Lie; Estensen, Monica Bring (22 February 2015). "Pegida-Hermansen stenger butikken etter "nazisvin"-hærverk". Verdens Gang (in Norwegian).
  15. Stenerud, David (14 March 2017). "Max Hermansen listetopp for Demokratene". Dagsavisen (in Norwegian). NTB.
  16. Skår, Kari Løberg (28 October 2019). "Flere koblinger mellom Demokratene og SIAN". NRK (in Norwegian).
  17. "Pegida sees 'complete failure' in Norway". The Local. 10 February 2015.
  18. "Pegida i Norge i full oppløsning". NRK Trøndelag (in Norwegian). 24 March 2015.
  19. Lepperød, Trond; Solberg, Trine (29 August 2020). "Flere personer pågrepet under Sian-markering i Oslo - politiet måtte avbryte". Nettavisen (in Norwegian).