U.S. designates Nordic Resistance Movement as a terrorist organization
The American diplomatic department informed that the U.S. State Department has designated the neo-Nazi organization Nordic Resistance Movement (NRM) as a terrorist organization. Sanctions have also been imposed on three of the group's leaders.
A statement issued by the U.S. State Department indicates that the group, founded in Sweden and operating in other Nordic countries, has committed numerous acts of violence. These were directly linked to its "openly racist, anti-immigrant, anti-Semitic, anti-LGBTQI+ agenda." The group attacked political opponents, journalists, and demonstrators. The list of offences is longer.
NRM members also took steps to collect and prepare weapons and explosives, both on behalf of the group and to pursue their goals — the U.S. State Department said in a Friday statement.
The United States also decided to impose sanctions on three group leaders. One of them is the current leader, Fredrik Vejdeland. The other two are Par Oberg, head of the group's parliamentary branch, and Robert Eklund, a NRM national council member.
According to the "Onet" portal, the group's leaders, like the entire organization, have been cut off from the American financial system. All of the group's assets under American jurisdiction have been blocked.
This is the second decision of this kind by the USA
The NRM is the second organization that the United States has designated as a terrorist group. The previous decision was made in 2019 when the administration of then-President Donald Trump designated the Russian Imperial Movement as such an organization.
The Nordic Resistance Movement began operating in 1997. It initially operated as the Swedish Resistance Movement, aiming to overthrow democracy and create a "united Nordic ethnic state." In 2016, the group started operating in other Nordic countries: Norway, Denmark, Iceland, and Finland.
To date, only Finland has decided to ban the National Resistance Movement. The decision was made in 2020.
