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36-815: The Osvald Group was originally the Norwegian branch of the "Organisation Against Fascism and in Support of the USSR", better known as the Wollweber League , an anti-fascist group founded in 1936 by German communist Ernst Wollweber , with the support and direction of the Soviet secret police , the NKVD . Norwegian communist Martin Rasmussen Hjelmen was its first leader, whose pseudonym Osvald became

72-567: A 2009 LO-Aktuelt article. Sunde received an award (the Defence Medal 1940–1945 in bronze)—by certified mail —from the Norwegian government. In 2013, then minister of defence honoured eight members—of the 17 who are still alive. Sunde and his organization received awards and recognition from the Soviet Union for their contributions during the war. In 2014 Lars Borgersrud filed a lawsuit against Museum Vest , and he demanded

108-678: A legalist and pacified strategy, members of the workers' movement who disagreed with this strategy formed Arditi del Popolo . The Italian General Confederation of Labour (CGL) and the PSI refused to officially recognize the anti-fascist militia and maintained a non-violent, legalist strategy, while the Communist Party of Italy (PCd'I) ordered its members to quit the organization. The PCd'I organized some militant groups, but their actions were relatively minor. The Italian anarchist Severino Di Giovanni , who exiled himself to Argentina following

144-589: A more passive resistance . The group cooperated with the group 2A and 2A's police group, as well as with Milorg, SOE and XU . In the winter of 1942, NKP formed military groups, and Sunde met with their leader Peder Furubotn . Sunde established a sabotage training center in Rukkedalen and recruited a network of saboteurs in the Torpo - Gol and Nesbyen area—and through Hallingdal and towards Oslo and Bergen . In September 1942, Sunde agreed to supply guards at

180-952: A way of organizing the various groups that wanted to participate in an internal military resistance. At first, Milorg was not well coordinated with the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the British organization to plan and lead resistance in occupied countries. In November 1941 the Milorg became integrated with the High Command of the Norwegian government in exile in London, answering to the British Army's Department British Field Office IV , which dealt with sabotage operations, but Milorg's British counterpart, SOE,

216-558: Is a political movement in opposition to fascist ideologies, groups and individuals. Beginning in European countries in the 1920s, it was at its most significant shortly before and during World War II , where the Axis powers were opposed by many countries forming the Allies of World War II and dozens of resistance movements worldwide. Anti-fascism has been an element of movements across

252-773: The Italian Anarchist Union emerged between 1919 and 1921, to combat the nationalist and fascist surge of the post-World War I period. In the words of historian Eric Hobsbawm , as fascism developed and spread, a "nationalism of the left" developed in those nations threatened by Italian irredentism (e.g. in the Balkans , and Albania in particular). After the outbreak of World War II, the Albanian and Yugoslav resistances were instrumental in antifascist action and underground resistance. This combination of irreconcilable nationalisms and leftist partisans constitute

288-563: The Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact , the Communists pursued a Popular Front approach, of building broad-based coalitions with liberal and even conservative anti-fascists. As fascism consolidated its power, and especially during World War II , anti-fascism largely took the form of partisan or resistance movements. In Italy, Mussolini's Fascist regime used the term anti-fascist to describe its opponents. Mussolini's secret police

324-489: The Versailles Treaty was responsible for the rise of Nazism and instead viewed fascist dynamism as the cause of conflict. Unlike fascism, these two types of anti-fascism did not promise a quick victory but an extended struggle against a powerful enemy. During World War II, both anti-fascisms responded to fascist aggression by creating a cult of heroism which relegated victims to a secondary position. However, after

360-585: The 1910s. Organization against fascism began around 1920. Fascism became the state ideology of Italy in 1922 and of Germany in 1933, spurring a large increase in anti-fascist action, including German resistance to Nazism and the Italian resistance movement . Anti-fascism was a major aspect of the Spanish Civil War , which foreshadowed World War II. Before World War II, the West had not taken seriously

396-573: The 1922 March on Rome , organized several bombings against the Italian fascist community. The Italian liberal anti-fascist Benedetto Croce wrote his Manifesto of the Anti-Fascist Intellectuals , which was published in 1925. Other notable Italian liberal anti-fascists around that time were Piero Gobetti and Carlo Rosselli . Milorg Milorg (abbreviation of mil itær org anisasjon – mil itary org anization)

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432-501: The base of the monument are two plaquettes and one inscription: an Asbjørn Sunde quote, "It was worth fighting for the freedom—for all nations, for all races, for all classes, for all people". (One plaquette is dedicated to dead Osvald members; another larger plaquette is for State Railway employees killed in World War II. Two of the names appear on both plaquettes.) Present at the unveiling were 4 surviving members. The permit (from

468-515: The communist party's central camp in Hemsedal in exchange for practical and financial support. Sunde became NKP's military leader, and the organisation became more efficient. In 1944 there was a break between the group and NKP's leader Peder Furubotn when Furubotn demanded that the group subordinate itself to his leadership. The Osvald Group was closed down in 1944 following orders from Moscow. During its operative period from July 1941 to July 1944

504-580: The earliest roots of European anti-fascism. Less militant forms of anti-fascism arose later. During the 1930s in Britain, "Christians – especially the Church of England – provided both a language of opposition to fascism and inspired anti-fascist action". French philosopher Georges Bataille believed that Friedrich Nietzsche was a forerunner of anti-fascism due to his derision for nationalism and racism. Michael Seidman argues that traditionally anti-fascism

540-546: The early period, Communist, socialist, anarchist and Christian workers and intellectuals were involved. Until 1928, the period of the United front , there was significant collaboration between the Communists and non-Communist anti-fascists. In 1928, the Comintern instituted its ultra-left Third Period policies, ending co-operation with other left groups, and denouncing social democrats as " social fascists ". From 1934 until

576-520: The explosion of a Wehrmacht train at Nyland Station in Oslo. In July 1942 Sunde held his first sabotage course at Rukkedalen (where the group had their headquarters). "A short time later he actioned against German friendly" companies in Hadeland . The Osvald group's active resistance policy was in opposition to the Communist Party of Norway ( NKP ), Milorg , and other organizations that preferred

612-639: The group was responsible for around 110 known actions, dominating sabotage activity in Norway during this period. 35 of the saboteurs were killed, excluding the one killed in Bergen. After the decommissioning of the Osvald Group, Saborg continued. ("Saborg was originally created and developed as the Bergen chapter of the international ship sabotage organization under Ernst Wollweber's leadership. This happened before World War Two".) In November and December 1944

648-556: The group's namesake. Following Hjelmen's arrest in 1938 by Swedish authorities, Asbjørn Sunde , who used Osvald as a cover name, led the group through the end of the German occupation. The Osvald Group became independent in 1940 after the Wollweber League dissolved following Wollweber's arrest. Historian Lars Borgersrud says about the origins of the group's name, that "The Norwegian section of Wollweber's sabotage instrument

684-587: The ideological spectrum. The defeat of the Axis powers generally ended fascism as a state ideology. After World War II, the anti-fascist movement continued to be active in places where organized fascism continued or re-emerged. There was a resurgence of antifa in Germany in the 1980s, as a response to the invasion of the punk scene by neo-Nazis . This influenced the antifa movement in the United States in

720-558: The late 1980s and 1990s, which was similarly carried by punks. In the 21st century, this greatly increased in prominence as a response to the resurgence of the radical right , especially after the election of Donald Trump . With the development and spread of Italian Fascism , i.e. the original fascism, the National Fascist Party 's ideology was met with increasingly militant opposition by Italian communists and socialists. Organizations such as Arditi del Popolo and

756-483: The leaders of Saborg were arrested. Saborg was the only resistance organization, that at times was subordinate to Milorg in Bergen, SOE , or the Communist Party's section in Bergen. (The latter relationship lasted a few days until Saborg was destroyed, and it is regarded as insignificant, according to Borgersrud .) The Saborg section of the Osvald Group was responsible for 30 actions. The number of members

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792-445: The monument at Jernbanetorget in Oslo. Other plaquettes are at other places in Norway. On 29 April 2015 a monument was installed at Jernbanetorget, and unveiled on 1 May. The monument—["crush Nazism "] Knus nasismen by Bjørn Melbye Gulliksen —shows a hammer (specifically a mukkert ) that is crushing a swastika , with the swastika nearly becoming "invisible (...) What we now see is a sledgehammer slamming at Norway's bedrock ". On

828-888: The municipality) for the monument's current location, lasts for six months, whereupon placement of the monument will be reviewed. The controversy has lasted since 2014. Paywall: Anti-fascism This is an accepted version of this page Central Europe Germany Italy Spain ( Spanish Civil War ) Albania Austria Baltic states Belgium Bulgaria Burma Czechia Denmark France Germany Greece Italy Japan Jewish Luxembourg Netherlands Norway Poland Romania Slovakia Spain Soviet Union Yugoslavia Germany Italy Netherlands Portugal Spain Sweden Switzerland United Kingdom United States Anti-fascism

864-530: The political spectrum and holding many different political positions such as anarchism , communism , pacifism , republicanism , social democracy , socialism and syndicalism as well as centrist , conservative , liberal and nationalist viewpoints. Fascism, a far-right ultra-nationalistic ideology best known for its use by the Italian Fascists and the Nazis , became prominent beginning in

900-473: The raiders, and escaped. "Corncrake" (at Flaskebekk ) transmitted from 2 April and it was raided on 4 July. Deaths included one German and two Norwegians on site, and one Norwegian at the hospital. The radio stations contributed to Milorg getting a key role in the Nazi home management program ( Hjemmefrontens Ledelse ), because the majority of HL's communications abroad, went through Milorg's radio network. Milorg

936-514: The return of documentation that he had gathered. Later that year the lawsuit was settled out of court. On 30 May 1995 a plaquette was installed on a wall of an atrium that leads to Østbanehallen (from Jernbanetorget in Oslo), listing employees of the State Railways [of which at least two were "Osvald members"] who died during World War II. In 2015 the plaquette was moved onto the base of

972-585: The revelation of the Wollweber League, the Osvald Group was intact in Oslo but had lost contact with Moscow , and had no funding. The group stored explosives around the country. The group only initiated their sabotage activities after Operation Barbarossa , the German attack on the Soviet Union on 22 June 1941, and continued until the Osvald Group was demobilised in 1944 by orders from Moscow. The group undertook its first railway sabotage mission on 20 July 1941,

1008-443: The summer of 1944. At the time of the German capitulation on 8 May 1945, Milorg had been able to train and supply 40,000 soldiers. They then also played an important part in stabilizing the country. Twenty of the around 80 radio stations were uncovered, leading to the deaths of at least 20 radio operators in combat or prison. The radio station in the loft of Kvinneklinikken , was raided on 1 April 1944. Knut Haugland shot four of

1044-540: The threat of fascism, and anti-fascism was sometimes associated with communism. However, the outbreak of World War II greatly changed Western perceptions, and fascism was seen as an existential threat by not only the communist Soviet Union but also by the liberal-democratic United States and United Kingdom. The Axis Powers of World War II were generally fascist, and the fight against them was characterized in anti-fascist terms. Resistance during World War II to fascism occurred in every occupied country, and came from across

1080-725: The war, conflict arose between the revolutionary and counterrevolutionary anti-fascisms; the victory of the Western Allies allowed them to restore the old regimes of liberal democracy in Western Europe, while Soviet victory in Eastern Europe allowed for the establishment of new revolutionary anti-fascist regimes there. Anti-fascist movements emerged first in Italy during the rise of Benito Mussolini , but they soon spread to other European countries and then globally. In

1116-454: Was called 'the Osvald Group' (« Osvald-gruppa ») after the pseudonym of the leader, Martin Hjelmen "— Osvald . Osvald was also one of the pseudonyms used by Asbjørn Sunde . The occupation of Norway by Nazi Germany began on 9 April 1940 after Operation Weserübung . Conventional armed resistance to the German invasion ended on 10 June 1940. After the 1940 arrest of Ernst Wollweber and

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1152-635: Was officially known as the Organization for Vigilance and Repression of Anti-Fascism . During the 1920s in the Kingdom of Italy , anti-fascists, many of them from the labor movement , fought against the violent Blackshirts and against the rise of the fascist leader Benito Mussolini. After the Italian Socialist Party (PSI) signed a pacification pact with Mussolini and his Fasces of Combat on 3 August 1921, and trade unions adopted

1188-546: Was over 200. "The communist sabotage organization in Bergen" was called Saborg , and the core of the organization counted around 60–65 members. The Vågård Group ( Vågårdsgruppa ) was another section of the Osvald Group. It was based North of Hønefoss, in the forest. Saboteur Josef Monsrud said that "I am proud of having been part of the Osvald organization. And the recognition that we have not received, I can [accept or] live with. Because I know what we have done", according to

1224-426: Was seen as the purview of the political left but that in recent years this has been questioned. Seidman identifies two types of anti-fascism, namely revolutionary and counterrevolutionary: Seidman argues that despite the differences between these two strands of anti-fascism, there were similarities. They would both come to regard violent expansion as intrinsic to the fascist project. They both rejected any claim that

1260-489: Was still operating independently. This lack of coordination led to a number of deadly incidents, creating bitterness within Milorg. SOE changed its policy at the end of 1942, and from then on Milorg and SOE efforts were coordinated. Mainly for fear of retaliation, like the Telavåg tragedy in 1942, Milorg kept a low profile at first. But they became more active as the war progressed. Its first permanent bases were established in

1296-554: Was the main Norwegian resistance movement during World War II . Resistance work included intelligence gathering, sabotage , supply-missions, raids, espionage, transport of goods imported to the country, release of Norwegian prisoners and escort for citizens fleeing the border to neutral Sweden . Following the German occupation of Norway in April 1940, Milorg was formed in May 1941 as

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