Kenya's Westgate attack: Norway's Progress party faces its first test

http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/oct/18/kenya-westgate-norway-progress-party

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Two days after the populist rightwing Progress party entered the Norwegian government, it is already facing its first test of how to handle controversial immigration issues now it has power and responsibility.

The facts are still uncertain, but there could be a link between Norwegian radical Islamist activists and the terrorist attack on the Westgate mall in Kenya. If proved, this would not be the first time radical Islamism had made its presence felt in Norway. Islamist individuals and groups have received substantial attention from the security police. In the aftermath of the terrorist attacks in Norway on 22 July two years ago, the police were criticised for having prioritised these groups over radical rightwing extremists. Radical Islamism has been one of several issues in the Norwegian immigration debate, but has never been the dominant theme. That said, Progress party politicians have frequently criticised the Norwegian government for being too soft on people with links to radical networks such as Profetens Umma. Earlier this year, Robert Eriksson, now the minister of labour, was furious that a central person in that group had been in receipt of benefits and demanded an immediate halt to all social security payments to persons with extremist connections.

Under normal circumstances, it is safe to say that any allegation of terrorist activities by a Norwegian citizen would lead to a strong reaction from the Progress party. If the suspicions turn out to be true, the party will have to deal with the issue from a different angle. They now have control over the ministry of justice.

This means that the populist right party also has responsibility for immigration regulation. Progress's entry into government received international attention, and to get rid of its reputation as a radical rightwing party, it even organised a press conference for foreign correspondents in Norway, to clarify the "misunderstanding" that they were anti-immigrant.

There is no doubt that the immigration issue has been central to the rise and popularity of the Progress party. The rhetoric has been unmistakably anti-immigrant. However, the party has a broad portfolio of other policies, such as the lowering of taxes and improving healthcare. It is moderate when compared with other groups of its ilk. Since the shift of leadership in from Carl I Hagen to Siv Jensen in 2006, it has taken further steps in that direction. And the terrorist attacks by Anders Breivik have seen it tone down the anti-immigration rhetoric down to a bare minimum.

The new government's immigration platform is also far more moderate than many had feared. It includes some restrictions, such as on family immigration, but also clear instances of liberalisation for other categories of migrant.

Progress cabinet members are all from the moderate wing of the party, an indication that they are attempting to take on the mantle of a serious and responsible party of the right.

But despite the moderate leadership, certain outspoken politicians make it difficult to paint a credible picture of Progress as a mainstream party. We are yet to see how they will respond to the possibility of terrorist links to Norway.

So far the story has received more attention in Britain than in Norway. Political reaction must come when the security services have concluded their investigation. Has the Progress party matured into a responsible mainstream party, or have we simply witnessed a superficial makeover for the purpose of entering office?

What moves it now makes will give us the very first test score.

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