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Norwegian Columnist Sacked for Backing French Presidential Candidate Le Pen

© REUTERS / Charles PlatiauFrance's far-right National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen poses in front of a poster for her 2017 French presidential election campaign as she inaugurates her party campaign headquarters "L'Escale" in Paris, France, November 16, 2016.
France's far-right National Front (FN) leader Marine Le Pen poses in front of a poster for her 2017 French presidential election campaign as she inaugurates her party campaign headquarters L'Escale in Paris, France, November 16, 2016. - Sputnik International
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Norwegian columnist Trond Andresen argued that Marine Le Pen was "the lesser of the two evils" in the French presidential campaign. This opinion cost him his job at the Klassekampen newspaper.

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In Monday's edition of Norwegian newspaper Klassekampen, Trond Andersen suggested that Front National' Marine Le Pen was a better choice for the French people than François Fillon, arguably the tipped winner of the upcoming presidential election.

"Had I been French, I would — gulp — have picked Marine Le Pen in the elections runoff next year out of the two choices recent opinion polls have been offering" Trond Andresen wrote.

Later the same day, Andersen was informed by Klassekampen Editor-in-chief Bjørgulv Braanen that his services as a commentator were no longer wanted, Norwegian newspaper Aftenposten reported.

"Le Pen and I agree on the following important issues: opposition to the EU, departure from the Eurozone, national industrial policy with elements of protectionism, restriction of immigration, secular state, independent foreign policy, no to American wars for the sake of regime change, yes to reconciliation and cooperation with Russia, resistance to globalism," Andresen justified his support for Le Pen.

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By his own admission, Andresen tried to describe the situation the French have found themselves in.

"François Fillon against Marine Le Pen is a bit like Trump versus Clinton. I'm not excited about either of them, but Le Pen seems to me the lesser of the two evils," Andersen explained.

Although Bjørgulv Braanen made it clear that Andresen was still welcome to contribute with articles other than opinion pieces, Andresen turned down this courteous offer.

"I'm done with the newspaper," Andresen said.

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Andersen, who is an assistant professor in Cybernetics at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), had a long career as a member in the Red Electoral Alliance (RV), the Workers' Communist Party (AKP), the Red Party. All in all, he collaborated with Klassekampen for 16 years and was known freelancing for the Norwegian national broadcaster NRK.

Klassekampen ("Class Struggle") is a Norwegian newspaper, which was founded in 1969 with a radical Marxist-Leninist platform, but has developed into a respectable left-wing daily. Since 2000, Klasskampen has more than trebled its circulation, in a period where most Norwegian newspapers have been in sharp decline.

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