A Far-Right FB Group Mistook Empty Bus Seats for Women in Burqas and Got So Angry

You may be absolutely shocked to learn that some people on Facebook do not need much prompting to go on a racist tirade.

In fact, you only need to show them a bunch of empty bus seats and tell them they’re actually Muslim women in burqas to set them off.

That was the practical joke played by Johan Slattavik on far-right Norwegian Facebook group ‘Fedrelandet Viktigst’ (aka 'Fatherland First’).

Slattavik simply posted a picture of bus seats with the question, “What do people think about this?”

As Al Jazeera explain in the following video, the otherwise benign picture inspired numerous Islamophobic comments, using words like “disgusting”, “frightening” and “tragic”.

Again, they were looking at a picture of empty bus seats.

The Facebook group has been suitably dragged online.

Slattavik later reached out to Al Jazeera to explain his motive: "I was bored one night so I thought about doing a little practical joke.”

"As a journalist myself I am fascinated by social mechanisms such as group polarisation, and how people's perceptions of an impression are influenced by how others around them react,” he added.

“So I laid out the photo to see what happened. I ended up having a good laugh."

One such recent event certainly made Norway an ideal location for such a prank.

In June of this year, a ban on full face veils and other face-covering clothing was proposed by Norway’s Minister of Education and Research, Tobjorn Roe Isaksen, who claimed they made it difficult for pupils and teachers to communicate.

The bill has plenty of support and is expected to pass into law next year.

Photo: Facebook (Fedrelandet Viktigst)