Erik Blücher or Tor Erik Nilsen (born 29 May 1953) is a Norwegian former

neo-nazi Neo-Nazism comprises the post–World War II militant, social, and political movements that seek to revive and reinstate Nazism, Nazi ideology. Neo-Nazis employ their ideology to promote hatred and Supremacism#Racial, racial supremacy (ofte ...

activist Activism (or Advocacy) consists of efforts to promote, impede, direct or intervene in social, political, economic or environmental reform with the desire to make changes in society toward a perceived greater good. Forms of activism range fro ...

. In 1975 Erik Blücher founded the national political party

Norwegian Front The Norwegian Front ( no, Norsk Front, NF) was a neo-fascist extraparliamentary political party in Norway founded in 1975, led by Erik Blücher as ''fører''. Following a bomb attack by an activist from the party, the NF was dissolved in 1979 and ...

on the foundation of the tiny organization National Youth League, where he himself became the leader. A new party was formed in 1980 under the name National People's Party. In 1983 Blücher moved to Helsingborg in

Sweden Sweden, formally the Kingdom of Sweden,The United Nations Group of Experts on Geographical Names states that the country's formal name is the Kingdom of SwedenUNGEGN World Geographical Names, Sweden./ref> is a Nordic country located on ...

and changed his name to Erik Nilsen. In a 2006 interview with Norwegian newspaper '' Stavanger Aftenblad'', the first interview he made since retiring from the public spotlight in the 1980s, he calls to account neo-nazism which he calls a "disastrous

cul-de-sac A dead end, also known as a cul-de-sac (, from French for 'bag-bottom'), no through road or no exit road, is a street with only one inlet or outlet. The term "dead end" is understood in all varieties of English, but the official terminology ...

" and a "scourge which has wreaked destruction for both friends and enemies." There he also claims he was never a nazi, only a

nationalist Nationalism is an idea and movement that holds that the nation should be congruent with the state. As a movement, nationalism tends to promote the interests of a particular nation (as in a group of people), Smith, Anthony. ''Nationalism: The ...

, however this is refuted by organizations which keep a tab on neo-nazi activity across Europe.

Early life

Nilsen grew up in

Moss Mosses are small, non-vascular flowerless plants in the taxonomic division Bryophyta (, ) '' sensu stricto''. Bryophyta (''sensu lato'', Schimp. 1879) may also refer to the parent group bryophytes, which comprise liverworts, mosses, and hor ...

in a bourgeois home. His parents were politically inactive apart from voting for the conservatives. His father who is of ethnic German ancestry had been honoured for his participation in the resistance movement during World War II. Nilsen has described himself as a somewhat dull but well-adapted child. He was the primary candidate for the editorship of his

high school newspaper A student publication is a media outlet such as a newspaper, magazine, television show, or radio station produced by students at an educational institution. These publications typically cover local and school-related news, but they may also repor ...

Political activism

He became a member of the

Norwegian Young Conservatives Norwegian Young Conservatives (Norwegian: Unge Høyres Landsforbund, UHL, normally referred to as Unge Høyre) is the Norwegian youth party of the Conservative Party. Its ideology is liberal conservatism Liberal conservatism is a political ...

, but having written an article where he called for a political party to the right of the

Conservative Party The Conservative Party is a name used by many political parties around the world. These political parties are generally right-wing though their exact ideologies can range from center-right to far-right. Political parties called The Conservative P ...

, he attended the 1973 foundation meeting of Anders Lange's Party, a tax protest party which would evolve to become the Progress Party. The party today is one of Norway's biggest political parties. Even there he was too radical. When Norsk Front was established Erik Blücher was its chairman from the outset. He attained to instant notoriety across the country on 30 May 1975, following his participation in a televised discussion program. He and his organization became intensely demonized from day one. Inquiries among ordinary people published by the mainstream media would readily call for the neo-nazis to be strung up from the nearest lamppost. The main causes championed by Blücher and his group were to fight off the communists, in particular the newly formed Marxist–Leninist Workers' Communist Party and non-European migrants, in particular those from

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

. In the 2006 interview Nilsen states that nobody in Norway after World War II has suffered as much because of their political convictions as he has.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Blucher, Erik Living people 1953 births People from Moss, Norway Norwegian activists Norwegian nationalists Norwegian fascists Norwegian expatriates in Sweden Norwegian neo-Nazis