Norwegian far-left leader resigns after airport sunglasses theft

A shoplifting that never ceases to amaze. Norwegian MP and far-left leader Bjornar Moxnes stole €100 worth of Hugo Boss sunglasses from a duty-free shop at Oslo Airport on June 30.

The 41-year-old politician resigned from his post at the head of his party on Monday. He was fined 3,000 crowns (250 euros).

The party he led for 11 years

“I made a big mistake and made it even worse because of what I did after that,” wrote Bjornar Moxnes on his Facebook page. “I am very sorry about this and want to apologize.” He initially cited flippancy, but modified his account several times due to CCTV revelations of the episode, which seems to weaken the oversight hypothesis.

Currently, Bjornar Moxnes, on sick leave, is resigning his post at the head of the opposition Rødt (Reds in French) party, which he led for eleven years and which he helped build to seven parliamentary seats in the 2021 legislative elections. According to the rules in force in Norway, it is not possible to relinquish elective functions, such as the functions of an MP, during the term of office.

In the meantime, number two in the party, 37-year-old Marie Snev Martinussen, is temporarily taking over the reins of political training.