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The city of Ålesund is already well-known for a fire that destroyed most of it at the beginning of the last century, and for rebuilding efforts that produced unique examples of Art Nouveau architecture.
Now some flames have thrust Ålesund into the headlines again, after Jespersen lit a fire in the center of town. The burly, middle-aged Norwegian seems to have a thing for fires: He's perhaps best known for an American flag-burning stunt on national TV three years ago, to protest the US-led invasion of Iraq.
This week, with the help of the local fire brigade, Jespersen lit a bonfire in front of Ålesund's city hall. With cameras rolling for his TV show "Rikets Røst," Jespersen first started burning some Norwegian books. Then, with the willing cooperation of Ålesund Mayor Arve Tonning, he threw paper money on the flames.
Tonning went along with the stunt to tease local residents known for their business sense and knack for making money. But then Jespersen ripped out several pages from the Bible's Old Testament and threw them on the fire. Tonning didn't like that and said he tried to stop Jespersen, but was ignored.
"I protested strongly and said I wouldn't go along with it," Tonning told newspaper VG. "But that guy (Jespersen) isn't easy to stop."
Odd Bondevik, the conservative local bishop, was also disgusted by Jespersen's stunt. "We've just been through a process in Norway about trying to understand how important it is to hold some things holy," said Bondevik, referring to the recent uproar over the publication of cartoons offensive to Muslims. "Otto Jespersen has lost respect for the holy with such an offense."
Bondevik said he won't pursue the matter, but hopes Jespersen's channel, TV2, will show "editorial responsibility" in the matter.
Tonning wants Jespersen's program stopped. Jespersen, meanwhile, claims he doesn't understand the uproar. At the very least, he succeeded in attracting plenty of publicity.
Now some flames have thrust Ålesund into the headlines again, after Jespersen lit a fire in the center of town. The burly, middle-aged Norwegian seems to have a thing for fires: He's perhaps best known for an American flag-burning stunt on national TV three years ago, to protest the US-led invasion of Iraq.
This week, with the help of the local fire brigade, Jespersen lit a bonfire in front of Ålesund's city hall. With cameras rolling for his TV show "Rikets Røst," Jespersen first started burning some Norwegian books. Then, with the willing cooperation of Ålesund Mayor Arve Tonning, he threw paper money on the flames.
Tonning went along with the stunt to tease local residents known for their business sense and knack for making money. But then Jespersen ripped out several pages from the Bible's Old Testament and threw them on the fire. Tonning didn't like that and said he tried to stop Jespersen, but was ignored.
"I protested strongly and said I wouldn't go along with it," Tonning told newspaper VG. "But that guy (Jespersen) isn't easy to stop."
Odd Bondevik, the conservative local bishop, was also disgusted by Jespersen's stunt. "We've just been through a process in Norway about trying to understand how important it is to hold some things holy," said Bondevik, referring to the recent uproar over the publication of cartoons offensive to Muslims. "Otto Jespersen has lost respect for the holy with such an offense."
Bondevik said he won't pursue the matter, but hopes Jespersen's channel, TV2, will show "editorial responsibility" in the matter.
Tonning wants Jespersen's program stopped. Jespersen, meanwhile, claims he doesn't understand the uproar. At the very least, he succeeded in attracting plenty of publicity.
Last year Jespersen's biting satire resulted in death threats after he ridiculed Prime Minister Kjell Magne Bondevik, and the comedian regularly sparks heated debate with his cutting humor which has offended parties from the state church to Crown Princess Mette-Marit's father Sven O. Hoeiby.
Jespersen's closing rant, which has become the high point of the program, ended on Thursday with a pro-war tirade. Jespersen then said: "I would like to light a candle for a long and bloody war, and may this flame inspire the USA to turn Baghdad into the world's biggest crematorium."
Turning to see that an American flag behind him had caught fire, Jespersen said: "Sorry, sorry, that was a mistake, that wasn't supposed to happen. See you in Baghdad - Let's kick some ass!"
The show's closing had been cleared both by TV2's program director Nils Ketil Andresen and station chief Kåre Valebrokk, newspaper VG reported.
According to Norwegian law, Jespersen now risks a prison term for mocking another nation's flag. All it will take for the stunt to become a criminal case is a complaint, but the US embassy in Oslo was not immediately available for comment.
Legal experts agree that the flag-burning is clearly illegal and that precedence exists for jail terms for similar acts.
Amanda Batt, a spokeswoman for the US state department in Washington DC, told Norwegian news agency NTB: "Norway is one of our close allies and we are extremely concerned when we hear things like this."
Jespersen's closing rant, which has become the high point of the program, ended on Thursday with a pro-war tirade. Jespersen then said: "I would like to light a candle for a long and bloody war, and may this flame inspire the USA to turn Baghdad into the world's biggest crematorium."
Turning to see that an American flag behind him had caught fire, Jespersen said: "Sorry, sorry, that was a mistake, that wasn't supposed to happen. See you in Baghdad - Let's kick some ass!"
The show's closing had been cleared both by TV2's program director Nils Ketil Andresen and station chief Kåre Valebrokk, newspaper VG reported.
According to Norwegian law, Jespersen now risks a prison term for mocking another nation's flag. All it will take for the stunt to become a criminal case is a complaint, but the US embassy in Oslo was not immediately available for comment.
Legal experts agree that the flag-burning is clearly illegal and that precedence exists for jail terms for similar acts.
Amanda Batt, a spokeswoman for the US state department in Washington DC, told Norwegian news agency NTB: "Norway is one of our close allies and we are extremely concerned when we hear things like this."
and this led into:
It's long been allowed to burn the Norwegian flag in Norway. Now the parliament's justice committee has unanimously agreed to decriminalize the burning of other country's flags in Norway.
"For us, freedom of expression is the most important," said deputy leader of the justic committee Jan Arild Ellingsen of the Progress Party, Norway's most conservative political party. Ellingsen nonetheless said he understands that many Norwegians still see flag-burning as unacceptable.
That was proven in 2003, when Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen abruptly set fire to an American flag during an episode of his nationally broadcast TV show at the time. Not only were US authorities upset, but so were many Norwegians, and Jespersen was charged with insulting and debasing another nation's flag. Prosecutors, however, later dropped the case.
Professor Frank Aarebrot, a national expert in political science at the University of Bergen, said he could understand how the parliament found it difficult to reconcile a law against flag-burning with freedom of expression.
"When Otto Jespersen burned the American flag on an entertainment program on national TV, it showed how difficult it is to attempt to punish it," Aarebrot said. "Putting Jespersen in prison would have sparked a huge debate."
"For us, freedom of expression is the most important," said deputy leader of the justic committee Jan Arild Ellingsen of the Progress Party, Norway's most conservative political party. Ellingsen nonetheless said he understands that many Norwegians still see flag-burning as unacceptable.
That was proven in 2003, when Norwegian comedian Otto Jespersen abruptly set fire to an American flag during an episode of his nationally broadcast TV show at the time. Not only were US authorities upset, but so were many Norwegians, and Jespersen was charged with insulting and debasing another nation's flag. Prosecutors, however, later dropped the case.
Professor Frank Aarebrot, a national expert in political science at the University of Bergen, said he could understand how the parliament found it difficult to reconcile a law against flag-burning with freedom of expression.
"When Otto Jespersen burned the American flag on an entertainment program on national TV, it showed how difficult it is to attempt to punish it," Aarebrot said. "Putting Jespersen in prison would have sparked a huge debate."
This is why freedom of speech and freedom of expression is wrong, would you like to see someone burning the American flag and The Bible on American TV and getting away with it? I doubt so!
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