Christian Tybring-Gjedde

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christian_Tybring-Gjedde

Christian Tybring-Gjedde (born 8 August 1963) is a Norwegian politician who represents the Progress Party. He has been a member of the Norwegian parliament since 2005, and was the leader of the Progress Party's Oslo chapter from 2010 to 2014.

He is most widely known for his opposition to immigration, especially Muslim immigration.[1] He believes immigration policy to be the single most important political issue facing Norwegian society.[2] In 2014 he released his book about immigration politics titled Mens orkesteret fortsetter å spille (While the orchestra continues to play).[3][4] In foreign policy he has supported Vladimir Putin and criticized the sanctions against Russia that the conservatives pushed for; he has also said the west should recognise the Russian occupation and annexation of Crimea.[5][6][7][8][9] He has been sharply critical of United States foreign policy prior to the election of Donald Trump.[10] In 2018 and 2020 he put forward Trump's name as a candidate for the Nobel Peace Prize; any member of parliament may propose candidates.[11]

He has been described by media commentators and scholars as far-right,[12][11][13][14][15] anti-immigrant and Islamophobic.[1][12][11][13][14][16][15] In 2019 Tybring-Gjedde said his party should position itself as national conservative.[17] In 2020 he spearheaded an attempt within his party to declare Norway a "patriotic beacon", arguing that "liberalism is a dead ideology"; summarising the core content of this policy, he said that his party should call for "a complete ban on non-western immigration", a referendum on immigration and adopt the view that "climate change is not man-made".[18][19] He favours cooperation with the Sweden Democrats[20] and has also advocated limited government intervention, reduced public spending, and tax reduction.[21] Tybring-Gjedde has stoked controversy on numerous occasions.[22] His pro-Russian views have been criticised by Norwegian conservatives.[9] He has been described as "one of Norway's most controversial anti-immigration politicians";[23] political scientist Sindre Bangstad has described him as one of the "main traffickers in extreme right-wing rhetorical tropes about Islam and Muslims" in Norway.[1] Tybring-Gjedde was a civil servant in the Ministry of Defence before he entered politics.