Seeing Red in Minneapolis 

Minnesota is known as the capital of Norway in the US, as more than 800,000 Minnesotans proudly claim Norwegian heritage, 14% of the total population. As one of those proud Norwegian Minnesotans, I can’t help but see the stark similarities between the resistance we are witnessing against ICE and Border Patrol’s brutal tactics in the streets of Minnesota today, and what was seen during WWII when Norway was invaded by German Nazi troops in 1940 and occupied for five long years.

Norway in 1940 had not seen war for over 125 years and had no experience with resistance movements. The generally peace-loving Norwegian people were determined not to lose their humanity to their fascist occupiers.  So, when it was clear that the Norwegian military was no match for the German war machine, the citizens of Norway rose to the occasion with creativity, unmatched bravery, and tenacious resistance in order to protect and preserve their land and way of life. Today, we see examples of this same spirit in Minnesota.

Red Hat Resistance

The National Samling Party, the Norwegian Nazi-aligned far-right political party was the only party allowed to operate under Nazi occupation with the task of breaking the independent spirit of the Norwegian people. In December of 1941, they banned the use of the Norwegian flag except on flagpoles.

The Norwegian people could not let this go.

That winter, they created Christmas cards with the little Norwegian gnome-like figures with red hats known as nisse, brandishing the Norwegian flag in many wintery scenarios. The cards were extremely popular and decorated many Norwegian homes and shops, so much so that the authorities saw them as a threat and began confiscating them. The people then took it a step further and began to don the little red hats of the gnomes as a sign of resistance. Then, in February of 1941, the fascist regime banned the wearing of red hats. The historical memory of Norwegian-descendant Minnesotans has led to them to begin donning the red caps as a form of resistance to ICE today.

The first red hat of resistance post I saw was from a Norwegian American man in Minnesota who had just finished knitting a simple red hat with a long braid on top which he explained had its origins in the resistance movement of Norway during the Second World War. Like so many things on social media, the hat went viral and it is popping up all over today at anti-ICE protests nationwide. Knitting clubs throughout the country are busily knitting hats to keep up with demand, behind a movement known as craftivism.

Simple symbols like the red hat are incredibly important to build cohesion within movements and to boost morale in the resistance struggles. I would be remiss though if I did not mention a few other similarities between the resistance in Norway and the fight against ICE in Minnesota.

Mass Resistance to Occupation

When I saw the media posts of the hundreds of protesting clergy kneeling in defiant prayer before being arrested at the Minneapolis-St Paul International Airport, I remembered the 12,000 Norwegian Lutheran bishops (of 14,000 total) who resigned their posts refusing to adhere to the Nazi Party’s demand that Nazi propaganda be incorporated into their sermons.

With empty churches and tens of thousands of outraged parishioners, the Nazi Party leadership withdrew its order and was forced to back down. The bishops returned to their flocks victorious.

Norwegian teachers, like teachers in Minnesota, also found themselves on the front line against fascism, as they refused to teach Nazi propaganda or protected their students from being indoctrinated into Nazi programs like the Hitler Youth Program. As a result, the Nazis arrested and sent over 1,300 teachers to make examples of them by sending them to concentration work camps. This also led to a mass backlash from teachers, who stood firm in solidarity, continued to resist teaching fascist propaganda, and eventually triumphed. 

Parents, too, stood up as over 300,000 Norwegian mothers wrote letters refusing to put their children in Nazi school uniforms and the Nazis ultimately acquiesced. Today we see many examples of teachers in Minnesota and across the nation protecting their students from brutal ICE raids, organizing online education for those too afraid to come to school, and creating mutual aid projects to help their students’ families with food and rent.

We see parents stepping up to patrol schools and neighborhoods, assisting with drop-off and pick-up areas, carpools, and organizing playdates for children who are studying at home. The Minneapolis Federation of Educators was also one of the sponsors of a Workers’ Assembly that organized more than 400 unionized workers to come together to strategize how to combat ICE.

As protesters and observers make life difficult and uncomfortable for ICE agents with whistles, horns, drums and shouts of “Shame!” and “F*CK ICE!”, I recall another tactic from the Norwegian resistance ironically known as “isfronten”, or ice front. This was where anti-Nazi Norwegians would socially isolate the Nazi occupiers and their collaborators simply by refusing to sit by them and openly ignoring them  This non-violent tactic to make the occupation forces feel iced out of Norwegian society worked so well that the Nazi’s made a law that stated it was illegal to stand in the trams if there were seats available.

There are many more examples. Suffice it to say that whether the actions of resistance are like those mentioned above, or the amazing organized rapid response networks in operation today in Minneapolis that allow organizers to communicate, document and report on their surveillance of ICE agents; or the massive boycotts, rallies, and general strikes; one thing is certain. We feel change in the frigid air of Minnesota—and it is spreading.

Collective acts of resistance and defiance by working people that are grounded in sincere belief and hope for a better world have changed history and continue to change history. The active resistance is working, and we—the people—are pushing back and winning.  

So, in honor of the resistance movements of the past and present, let’s raise a glass, commit to the fight, and “du må ikke sove” (dare not to sleep!). Skol!

*du må ikke sove was one of the many slogans of the resistance movement in Norway during WWII.