Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre was interrupted by pro-Palestinian protesters during the traditional Labour Day speech at Youngstorget in Oslo.
Protesters held up banners criticising investments by Norway’s sovereign wealth fund in Israel.
The protest generated so much noise that Støre was forced to temporarily halt the speech, national broadcaster NRK reported.
The head of the Labour Day committee then asked the demonstrators to quiet down and let Støre speak before he could resume.
“This is a public gathering in Norway, full of passion, including lots of passion about Gaza. I understand that very well,” Støre told NRK shortly after the speech.
The PM said he believed most people at Youngstorget had come to hear what he had to say, despite the protest.
May 1st customs in Norway include politicians and union leaders making speeches throughout the country, highlighting the importance of workers’ rights and protection. Støre’s Labour Party, along with the trade union movement, traditionally use the speeches and occasion as a platform for promoting their ideas and values.
READ ALSO: Norway’s 1.6 trillion dollar ‘oil fund’ explained
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Støre gave his speech minutes after Norway had delivered a statement to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague.
The UN’s top court is this week hearing a case on Israel’s humanitarian obligations towards Palestinians, more than 50 days into its total blockade on aid entering war-ravaged Gaza according to news agency AFP.
Norway led a resolution adopted by a large majority at the UN General Assembly late last year, asking the ICJ for an advisory opinion on the matter “on a priority basis and with the utmost urgency”.
Norway’s initiative was triggered by an Israeli law banning the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, UNRWA, from operating on Israeli soil.
The sovereign wealth fund is the money the Norwegian state generates from oil.
Norway puts its oil revenues into the Government Pension Fund, the largest sovereign wealth fund in the world. This allows Norwegian oil revenues to generate more money through investment in over 9,000 companies across the globe.