STAVANGER: A potential collapse of the minority Norwegian government was averted on Tuesday after a senior minister resigned for writing a Facebook post claiming the opposition Labour Party was more interested in protecting the rights of terrorists than the Norwegian people.

The comment earlier this month by Justice Minister Sylvi Listhaug touched a raw nerve in a country still tormented by memories of the July, 2011 attack by far-right terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik.

Listhaug, a polarising force in Norwegian politics for her direct style and strident views on immigration, has been under pressure since her March 9 post. In it, she said: “Labour thinks terrorists’ rights are more important than the security of the nation. Like and share.”

Published in Dawn, March 21st, 2018