"......og hvis de sier det er vold vi gjør när vi tar den rett de ikke gir oss sä svar dem ikke, for vi vet at ingen annen enn oss selv befrir oss..."
Norwegian is tougher than one might think. After two of us muddled through a messy and too-wordy translation using various online translation services, I deferred to my new (and fluently multilingual) journalist friend Heidi for a clearer take on what's being said on the side of Pilestredet 30. She provided me with two, the first being a literal - almost word for word - translation, the second cleaned up and made more poetic (and closer to the original intent):
"... and if they say it is violence we do when we take the rights they do not give us then do not answer them, for we know that no one but us will liberate us..."
"...and if they claim we are committing acts of violence when we take the rights that they deny us, do not answer them, because we know that no one will liberate us but ourselves..."
Seems that the Frommer's guide I dutifully carried was a bit out of date. The Blitz Group, known as the Blitz or the Blitzers are still politically active, with anarchist/communist underpinnings, and are staunchly anti-racist. The 1990s - the era my guide got its information - was a really active decade for them, particularly with their clashes with neo-nazis. Heidi tells me that both groups are far less visible these days, but that demonstrations involving Blitzers do sometimes still lead to violent interactions with police (which she suspects is what the quote is commenting on). They continue to be a presence at anti-globalization demonstrations in Prague and Gothenburg. The house itself is a thriving cultural scene onto itself - home to a vegetarian café and concerts, and drumming classes (especially for girls), and they have an often-updated website as well (with English info available). Learning that the space is under little threat of being demolished in the near future and that it's being used as a community political, anti-racist, feminist and cultural centre makes it even more special, and makes me even happier that I had the opportunity to see it up close.
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