Sumaya reports Atle Antonsen for racism

Sumaya reports Atle Antonsen for racism
Sumaya reports Atle Antonsen for racism
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Sumaya Jirde Ali shared a very personal post on her FB profile on Tuesday, in which she claims that the well-known comedian Atle Antonsen allegedly made racist remarks to her.

Award winner

Sumaya is a Norwegian-Somali girl who moved from Somalia to Bodø in 2005 as a seven-year-old. In 2017, she published the poetry collection Women who hate men, and the same year she was named “Bodøværing of the Year” by Bodø Nu. Ali has been subjected to hateful, racist comments several times in the past. In 2019, a woman was sentenced to 14 days in conditional prison for calling Ali a “corrupt cockroach” in the comments section on Facebook. The following year she won the Zola prize. The reason she won the award was because she had shown civil courage and had openly and fearlessly uncovered or opposed conditions that threatened human dignity, democracy and the rule of law in Norway. At this time, Sumaya was 20 years old.

The incident

The incident with Antonsen is said to have happened on a patio three weeks ago. Sumaya was with her friend at the time. She begins her FB post with the following: “This is a story I’ve been carrying for three weeks. I have been in doubt as to whether I should tell it, and I still am.” She also writes that she and her friend were sitting at a table chatting, when they were suddenly interrupted by Atle Antonsen. She adds that she knows Antonsen from the public, but that she does not know him personally. According to Sumaya, Antonsen should have spoken to her in English, to which she replies “æ kan Norsk assa.” At this point, the comedian is said to have changed from smiling to very angry. Sumaya describes it in the following way in her post: “He goes from being a smiling man to someone who screams “SHUT THE FUCK UP” at me so that I get his saliva enemas in my face”. She further describes that the situation is escalating. Several people witness what is happening. Then the following is said to have happened: “As a black woman who is no stranger to racism, I know at this point what is coming at the same time that I do not know. I have been here so many times before at the same time that I have never been here before. Antonsen looks me straight in the eyes and says with a contemptuous look, “You’re too dark-skinned to be here.” I hardly believe what I hear.” She writes in her post that she constantly tries to downplay the situation, and she asks herself the question: “Who does such a thing? Yes, a powerful man who not even strangers dare to oppose.” She further writes: – In the situation, I was locked into being both a witness and recipient of Antonsen’s monologue because he constantly asked me to shut up. I was physically unable to get up and leave because he was sitting right across from me. My only function was to witness the abuse of my person. And not only did strangers have to be convinced that I am too dark-skinned: he also tried to persuade me. “Look at you, you are.”

The after effects

Sumaya writes in her post that she has now chosen to report the relationship. She is said to have struggled to sleep and eat after the incident, and a week ago she began to feel angry: “Before that I was just scared, now I alternate between being scared and angry”. In a short time, her post has received 1,400 likes and 174 comments. There are many declarations of support. Bodø Nu has tried to get in touch with Sumaya Jirde Ali and Atle Antonsen, but has not yet received a reply. Atle Antonsen writes in an SMS to Gudbrandsdølen Dagningen that he does not want to comment on the incident. “This is a sad and unpleasant case, but since there is a police report, it would be inappropriate for me to comment on this right now. Hope for understanding for that,” writes the comedian to GD.

The article is in Norwegian

Tags: Sumaya reports Atle Antonsen racism

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