Steigan.no

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Pål Steigan in 2007
You gotta spin it to win it
Media
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Steigan.no is a Norwegian "anti-globalist" alternative news site that is often described as "red-brown."[1][2] It is known for promoting Russian propaganda, conspiracy theories, racism and transphobia.[3][4] It is one of the largest conspiracy theorist websites in Scandinavia, and is somewhat similar to Globalresearch. It is also associated with the "Mot Dag" red-brown conference, that has so far typically featured Nazis, tankies, pro-Assad conspiracy theorists and TERFs.[2]

Content[edit]

The website was founded by former Maoist politician Pål SteiganWikipedia (1949–). Extremism researcher and skeptic John FærsethWikipedia describes the website as a platform of conspiracy theories and pro-Kremlin disinformation and propaganda.[5][6] It has also been described as an example of "red–brown convergence" (far-left with far-right, or Third Positionism), with links to the alt-right.[2]

Norwegian government-supported fact checking website Faktisk.noWikipedia stated that Steigan is part of a far-right/alternative echo chamber that also includes Document.no, Resett.no, Rights.no, and Lykten.no, and where individuals linked to SIAN (Stop Islamisation of NorwayWikipedia) play a key role.[7] In 2022 Faktisk.no described Steigan as the main promoter of Russian propaganda among alternative media in Norway.[8][9][10]

The secretary-general of the left-wing Red party Benedikte Pryneid Hansen said the party views Steigan as a platform of "onesided Russian war propaganda, conspiracy theories, racism and transphobia",[4] and that the website is characterized by "extreme conspiracy theories."[11]

Steigan has been denied membership in the Norwegian Association of Newspaper Editors, with the rationale that Steigan.no is not a journalistic medium, but an activist website that disregards accepted journalistic principles.[12]

The website's writers include Hans Olav Brendberg, who is known for promoting anti-semitic conspiracy theories,[13] and Swedish TERF and pro-Russian debater Kajsa Ekman.[1][14]

Red-brown conference[edit]

Steigan also hosts his own conference named "Mot Dag" ("Against/Towards Day"), named after an historical communist group, that has also been described as "red-brown" and that has featured many well-known conspiracy theorists as well as far-right speakers, including Nazis, while portraying itself as left-wing. An article on LibCom noted that

Steigan has a long history on the anti-imperialist left, including having met with Pol Pot and Enver Hoxha. His current project appears to be a sort of “red-brown convergence squared”, as his conference brought the anti-trans axis represented by Keen-Minshull together with Eva Bartlett, Vanessa Beeley and Patrick Henningsen, three figures who’ve played a high-profile role in the international pro-Assad conspiracy theorist milieu. All three have extensive connections to the far-right. —Bonzo goes to Oslo: Christian fundamentalists and the far-right strike a new pose[2]

References[edit]