Steinar Bastesen
Encyclopedia
Steinar Bastesen is a Norwegian
politician. A former fisher and whaler, Bastesen was first elected to the Norwegian Storting in 1997 as an independent candidate. In 1999, he participated in forming the Coastal Party
, or Kystpartiet, a political party in Norway. He headed this party from 1999 to March 2005, when internal disparity among the members forced him to give up his leadership. Nevertheless, Bastesen kept his seat in the Storting until the 2005 election
.
Bastesen is known for his vigorous advocacy of whaling, and usually appears on television wearing a seal-fur vest. In 1997, Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson
claimed in a television interview that Bastesen had threatened to kill him. Bastesen vehemently denied the allegation, and sued Watson for defamation of character.
In 1998, Bastesen made a famous statement saying that the whale Keiko
, known from the Free Willy
films, should be killed and the meat sent to Africa as foreign aid. This was his response to hearing that millions of dollars were being spent on preparing the whale for returning to the wild
Norway
Norway , officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic unitary constitutional monarchy whose territory comprises the western portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula, Jan Mayen, and the Arctic archipelago of Svalbard and Bouvet Island. Norway has a total area of and a population of about 4.9 million...
politician. A former fisher and whaler, Bastesen was first elected to the Norwegian Storting in 1997 as an independent candidate. In 1999, he participated in forming the Coastal Party
Coastal Party
The Coastal Party is a Norwegian conservative and centrist political party. The party has district, fishing and coastal issues among its primary policies and is a staunch opponent of Norwegian EU membership. It was represented in the Norwegian Parliament from 2001 to 2005, and its predecessor, the...
, or Kystpartiet, a political party in Norway. He headed this party from 1999 to March 2005, when internal disparity among the members forced him to give up his leadership. Nevertheless, Bastesen kept his seat in the Storting until the 2005 election
Norwegian parliamentary election, 2005
Parliamentary elections were held in Norway on 12 September 2005. More than 3.4 million Norwegians were eligible for vote for the Storting, the parliament of Norway. The new Storting has 169 members, an increase of four over the 2001 election....
.
Bastesen is known for his vigorous advocacy of whaling, and usually appears on television wearing a seal-fur vest. In 1997, Canadian anti-whaling activist Paul Watson
Paul Watson
Paul Watson is a Canadian animal rights and environmental activist, who founded and is president of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, a direct action group devoted to marine conservation....
claimed in a television interview that Bastesen had threatened to kill him. Bastesen vehemently denied the allegation, and sued Watson for defamation of character.
In 1998, Bastesen made a famous statement saying that the whale Keiko
Keiko (orca)
Keiko was a male orca / actor who starred in the film Free Willy and was perhaps the most famous of captive orcas.- History :...
, known from the Free Willy
Free Willy
Free Willy is a 1993 family film directed by Simon Wincer, and released by Warner Bros. under its Family Entertainment label. The film stars Jason James Richter as a young boy who befriends an orca whale, named "Willy."...
films, should be killed and the meat sent to Africa as foreign aid. This was his response to hearing that millions of dollars were being spent on preparing the whale for returning to the wild