By Tore Rasmussen, 16th January 2023.
When: Monday, 23 January 2023
What: Book and art talk with Rikard Högberg
Where: Oslo
Tickets: Eventbrite
As the old saying goes, “don’t judge a book by its cover.” However, it seems that this is precisely what Litteraturhuset (House of Literature) has done in their decision to reject our request to host a book launch for Old Europe Stop the Great Replacement, written by author and artist Rikard Högberg. Without reading a paragraph from the book or even requesting an advanced reader’s edition, they rejected our request to rent their venue.
As a publisher, we at Legatum Publishing hold freedom of expression as one of our core values. With this in mind, we were disappointed to receive the news that our request to host the book launch at Litteraturhuset in Oslo was rejected.
Litteraturhuset, which describes itself as “Norway’s only national literature house, working to spread literature in a broad sense, protect freedom of expression and contribute to a knowledge-based public conversation”, has raised questions about its commitment to these values with its decision to reject our book launch based on a politically charged and misleading definition of the term “The Great Replacement.”
It’s important to note that the UN itself uses the term “Replacement Migration” in their document “Replacement Migration”, published in 2000 by the Population Division Department of Economic and Social Affairs United Nations Secretariat, to describe the current situation in some Western countries, as well as Russia and South Korea.
Don’t judge a book by its cover, but by its content. We encourage everyone to read the book and form their own opinions. The book is about the demographic situation in the developed world, especially in the west, and the consequences of demographic decline.
As a result of Litteraturhuset’s decision to reject our request to host the book launch, we at Legatum Publishing have found a new, larger venue to host the event. In addition to the book launch, we will also be hosting an art talk and exhibition featuring the work of Rikard Högberg, the author and artist of Old Europe Stop the Great Replacement.
We believe that this decision by Litteraturhuset violates their commitment to freedom of expression and could have led to a missed opportunity for a knowledge-based public conversation had we not found a new venue. However, we are glad that this attempt to deplatform us and suppress this crucial topic did not succeed in stopping us from sharing the important message of this book and the unique perspective of its author.
We invite all interested parties to attend the event, where they will have the opportunity to hear from the author himself and view his art, as well as engage in a conversation about the book’s topic, the demographic situation and the consequences of it.
We hope this event will provide a platform for an open and honest discussion about the future of Europe and its people.
The event will be conducted in English.