Silent Protest in Oslo Against the Handover of Afghanistan's Embassy to the Taliban

A silent protester stood in front of Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, holding a placard and wearing blood-stained clothing, to protest the handover of Afghanistan’s embassy in Oslo to the Taliban.

The protester, dressed in a white outfit stained with red marks, wore a cardboard house on their head with roots hanging from it, submerged in a water bottle.

On the house, a caricature of Norway’s foreign minister was depicted holding an axe with the Norwegian flag, cutting the roots dangling from the structure. The image was accompanied by protest slogans: "Norwegian democracy, bloody diplomacy; do not cut our roots with your diplomacy."

The protester also held a picture of Karsten Thomassen, a Norwegian journalist who was killed in a Taliban attack on the Serena Hotel in Kabul on January 14, 2008. Beneath his image, the date of his death was inscribed along with a powerful message: "A bullet took his life, and a signature killed his cause."

Without speaking, the protester conveyed their message by holding up a placard in front of Norway’s foreign ministry, walking through nearby streets, and standing among the public: "Stop the handover of Afghanistan’s embassy to the Taliban."

This demonstration comes after the Taliban recently announced that Norway’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs had handed over the Afghan embassy in Oslo to the group's representative. The decision has sparked widespread opposition. Thirty-three Afghan women’s organizations and activist groups have also sent a letter to Norway’s foreign ministry, urging it to halt the process and refrain from recognizing the Taliban regime.