Norwegian Political Parties

Last modified: 2004-08-14 by phil nelson
Keywords: political parties: norway | norwegian labour movement | hammer: white |
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• Norwegian labour movement

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by Jan Oskar Engene

Thanks to the assistance of The Labour Movement Archives and Library in Oslo, I have now got some more information on the red flag with the white hammer in the canton

It turns out this flag is not that of any specific party or organization, but rather a flag used by the organizations of the social democratic labour movement in Norway, including the Norwegian Labour Party, the Arbeidernes Ungdomsfylking (AUF) which is the labour movement's youth league, and also the Norwegian Confederation of Trade Unions. In other words, the correction posted a few days ago is definitely not correct: The flag is *not* the flag of the Norwegian Communist party.

The hammer emblem was introduced by the social democrats in 1934, "the year of the hammer," as a direct challenge to the Swastika of the Nazis. It was to be used in the agitation of the social democrats in a variety of ways: On posters, as lapel badges, on banners, as decorations on rostrums, and of course, on flags.

A small publication was issued in 1934 to explain the significance of the hammer emblem and regulate its use. As for the use of flags, the publication speaks not only of large ordinary flags, but also of the hammer emblem on triangular bicycle pennants and on "children's flags," that is, hand wavers. Whereas the hammer is set in the canton on large flags, it is centred on the bicycle pennant and on the hand wavers.
Jan Oskar Engene, 21 May 2000