First, questions as whale hunting are not that central in this blog. Still, it may please you to know that Norwegian media often focus on animal welfare questions, ecological questions, and conflicts between different groups using or affecting the natural resources. The subject could then be wild salmon health vs salmon farms, rare carnivores vs herding, oil drilling vs fishing, overfishing, polluting activities vs fishing and ecology, environmentally concerned urban populations vs primary resource using regions, new species threatening the ecology, strong Sami communities in greasing conflicts with weaker Sami communities, over greasing, the problems and possibilities of the changing climate, seals and dolphins vs fishing, fur farms, industrial chicken farms, or other questions. The Norwegian society is of course slow in its phasing out of its very small and unprofitable whale hunting, that probably gradually is being replaced by more profitable and image creating whale safaris. Second, you should look a little more at how you are expressing yourself. You seem to make a hen with help of every feather you find, and sometimes even without finding more than an imaginary feather. Scandinavians, Muslims, Liberals, central lefties, and others are classified as horrible Jew haters (unless otherwise is proven) who currently are planning their next pogrom. This is as absurd as picturing you as a person walking about the streets of Budapest with a bloody axe, looking for Scandinavians and Muslims while saluting a uniformed Jobbik mob that insults you. Third, one could almost believe that you demand us to strictly follow an extreme and creative word interpretation of the Bible as well as start some pogroms against Muslim immigrants. This would of course be to exaggerate very much, but you cannot expect us or serious politicians to side completely, or almost completely, with the currently strong side in the ugly and complicated Israel-Palestine conflict. Less serious politicians do of course almost automatically side with Israel due to biblical interpretations, different kinds of negative attitudes towards Muslim culture and immigrants, American ideological ties, or something else. Still, even these politicians tend to distance themselves a little from operation Cast Lead.

Fourth, media and politicians (including those that you and the article attack) in all the Scandinavian countries condemn less tasty phenomenons in for example some Muslim environments. There was for example rather recently much media and political coverage of the so called 'moral police' in some immigrant areas of Oslo; that is media, politicians and even Muslims criticised persons who in the street or through ethnic networks instructed Muslims (and occasionally others) about how they should dress and behave as good Muslims. There has also been a lot of publicity about the fact that some Muslim pupils in Oslo lack acceptance for for example Jews and objective lessons about the Holocaust. Fifth, anti-Semitism is generally not that common in Scandinavia, especially not from the persons and groups pointed out by the article and you. I can however understand that even justified criticism of Israel's handling of the current conflict can be heavy for those closely connected to Israel, and even heavier for those who stand on the barricades defending for example Cast Lead (and thereby expose themselves to different kinds of counter demonstrators). I can also understand that it can be heavy to belong to a small group of people who just because they are who they are risk being pinpointed by the relatively few neo Nazis, aggressive Islamists, and other extreme persons. Sixth, Islamophobism is a far more spread phenomenon in the Nordic countries, being most advanced in Denmark were it and common disrespect for other low prestige populations has entered (but not completely engulfed) the core of the political sphere (which is not nice to see when you are partly Danish as I am). Personally, I actually feel sick when I hear Pia Kjærsgaard describe Muslims and immigrants; and she is the face representing the extremely narcissistic party who too such a degree has coloured the politics of the present Danish government; that her party supports. Seventh, one could always discuss whether the politicians are making the best choices, even if I believe that for example the Norwegian politicians in power, with their weaknesses, probably are more suited as politicians than you or the politicians in the Israeli government. In spite of this, I would personally question why the Nordic politicians send so many soldiers to the seemingly poorly managed war in Afghanistan. They might of course believe in this war or in the benefits of a gradual retreat, but if they do not you could contemplate over how noble it is to invest in more suffering in this conflict.

What the hell? Yes, comment # 147 is Raymond from Beirut. And? Would you care to reply to my message, rather than stating some irrelevant and unimportant fact? Or do you not have any arguments? And please, again (!), we are discussing here Norway's policy on financially supporting art (since that is what has angered so many). As I and many others here have underlined, Norway does not choose which artists or projects to support based on their political belonging. We support -any- project that is found relevant/good/important enough.

Thank you to all the Norwegians who have spoken of their true political situation. The complaint is not of Freedom of Speech, but that the Norwegian govt PAID FOR DISTRIBUTION of this drivel. #95 THANK YOU ! A voice of sanity in this wilderness. To continue: #89, 92, 98, 99: Read 55, 103, 108 ("defenceless"? No way), 99 #147: ok, assume their is more prejudice against Muslims than against Jews; The prejudice Muslims have for Jews is deadlier.

Can a few of you remind Mossad about the value of subtlety? Its getting a little too obvious these days.

There is only light when we look into another's eyes, and see our brother. It is time for the Theocratic government in Israel and its supporters to wake up, and see the light. The mood across the world is changing, we are weary of the violence and injustice that surrounds Israel. Some have chosen to speak out against it, and more will follow. Just as apartheid was brought down in South Africa, so it shall in Israel.

Applauding the death of children? Cognitive Dissonance. I know of no one that shares these values. It's a blindness. My opinion and can';t be taken away by any means in this world or the next. Count on it. This was an act of terrorism.. and a hate filled commentary section by rabbid human beings bent on death and destruction. Israel is it's own worst enemy. God Bless those israelis and peoples of the world that see these hatefilled comments for what they are. Hatred. Very dissapointed in this extremism My opinion.. Dissapointed in Israel