Norwegian consul in Russia: I hate Russians; you people are a disgrace
The Russian foreign ministry has condemned the racist tirade.
A Norwegian consul in Russia, as per footage circulated on social media, made racist comments against Russians in a hotel reception. The Russian foreign ministry responded condemningly, slamming that "outrageous" behavior of Elizabeth Ellingsen.
The video, which was posted on Telegram, showed Norwegian consul Ellingsen in Murmansk, an Arctic city in Russia, throwing a tirade as she demands a room - a clean room.
🇳🇴 "I hate Russians! I'm used to clean rooms, I'm from Scandinavia. Not like some Russian woman who cleans up anyhow."-Elizabeth Ellingson,the Norwegian consul in Russia said in the video pic.twitter.com/vuM8Ukrrh6
— AZ 🛰🌏🌍🌎 (@AZmilitary1) July 30, 2022
"I hate Russians... Just give me a room... I'm used to clean rooms, I'm from Scandinavia," she said.
By the end of the video, she also defamed Russians in general, saying "you people, in general, is also a disgrace."
The video had been viewed more than 500,000 times.
Maria Zakharova, Russia's foreign ministry spokesperson, said on Twitter: "The Russian foreign ministry is considering a reaction to this outrageous act of hatred, nationalism and xenophobia."
The Norwegian foreign ministry said it "deeply regretted" the incident.
"The sentiments expressed do not reflect Norwegian policy or the Norwegian attitude towards Russia and the Russian people," the Norwegian foreign ministry told AFP, revealing that the ministry is handling the situation "through the appropriate channels".
The Norwegian Consulate General in Murmansk has been closed, though temporarily, since July 1 due to the "difficult" situation in Russian-Norwegian relations.
It was not specified whether the incident took place before or after the consulate closed down.