Professor’s praise of October 7 massacres is protected political speech, Norway rules

Norway’s public prosecutor rejects complaint against professor who hailed Oct 7 as ”most beautiful thing” in a century, upholding decision by authorities not to pursue criminal charges.

By World Israel News Staff

Norwegian prosecutors have upheld a police decision to dismiss a criminal complaint against a university professor who described the October 7, 2023, Hamas massacre in Israel as “the most beautiful thing that has happened in our century.”

The Nord Public Prosecutors’ Office rejected an appeal challenging the earlier dismissal of the complaint against Bassam Hussein, a professor at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) in Trondheim, Norwegian media reported Sunday.

Prosecutors concluded that Hussein’s statements constituted political expressions, upholding the determination by police that his remarks did not warrant criminal prosecution.

The decision represents the latest development in a controversy that erupted in May, after video emerged of Hussein praising the October 7 attack, in which Hamas-led terrorists murdered approximately 1,200 people in Israel and abducted another 251.

Hussein made the remarks during a public lecture organized by Socialist Forum Trondheim on April 21, while discussing the war involving Israel, Iran and the United States.

“And then we come to October 7. The most beautiful thing that has happened in our century,” Hussein told the audience.

The comments sparked widespread condemnation and prompted Norwegian-Jewish activist On Elpeleg to file a criminal complaint on May 5, alleging violations of laws against hate speech, incitement to criminal acts and incitement to genocide.

In his complaint, Elpeleg accused Hussein of celebrating the murder of Israeli civilians and diminishing the humanity of the victims.

Describing the professor’s remarks, Elpeleg called them “a gross degradation of the victims’ human dignity” and a glorification of terrorism and attempted genocide.

Elpeleg also expressed concern about the normalization of antisemitic rhetoric in Norway, citing his own family’s experience during the Holocaust.

Trøndelag police dismissed the complaint in July, determining that the statements did not constitute a criminal offense under Norwegian law.

Elpeleg challenged that decision, bringing the matter before the public prosecutor’s office. The office has now upheld the dismissal, finding that Hussein’s statements fall within the scope of protected political expression.

Despite the latest ruling, Elpeleg said he intends to continue pursuing the matter through Norwegian and international channels.

“The case has not yet been appealed further, but it will be. I see no other option,” he told Norwegian outlet Verdinytt.

Elpeleg said he plans to seek further action in Norway and raise the matter with institutions in the European Union and United Nations.

Hussein, who was born in a refugee camp in Gaza, previously denied that his comments were intended to celebrate the murder of civilians.

In a statement published by NTNU’s Universitetsavisa on May 4, the professor argued that his choice of words referred to what he regarded as a historical turning point for Palestinians rather than a moral endorsement of the violence.

“Let me be absolutely clear: I do not regard October 7 as a victory or triumph,” Hussein wrote.

He acknowledged that civilian deaths were tragic and should not be romanticized, but maintained that the attack could be understood within the historical context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

The professor also described October 7 as a prisoner uprising against Israeli restrictions on Gaza, a characterization that drew further criticism.

Ervin Kohn, a prominent representative of Norway’s Jewish community, condemned Hussein’s original statement as a glorification of violence and terrorism.

“It is totally unacceptable,” Kohn told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

The controversy also prompted complaints to NTNU, where Hussein serves as a professor of project management.

The university declined to take disciplinary action, maintaining that Hussein had delivered the lecture in a private capacity rather than as a representative of the institution.

NTNU Rector Tor Grande defended the professor’s right to express his views within the limits of Norwegian law.

Legal experts have noted that Norway repealed its prohibition on glorifying previously committed acts of violence when its revised criminal code entered into force in 2015. Consequently, praising a past violent act does not, by itself, necessarily constitute a criminal offense under Norwegian law.