In this provocative film, young Norwegian filmmakers confront the paradoxes of democracy. Extremists invoke constitutionally protected speech to stoke racial tensions. At the film's center is Lars Thorsen, leader of the anti-Islamic group SIAN, who incites anti-migrant sentiment by publicly burning copies of the Koran. Unsurprisingly, his actions provoke intense responses from Islamic radicals, yet, under the law, Thorsen receives police protection. The film’s other focal figure, activist Axel, is a young farmer mobilizing his peers in peaceful protests against hate speech. The documentary asks a crucial question: Can democracy withstand the growing prevalence of extremist populist rhetoric?

Konrad Wirkowski