“Life would be a billion times better if you didn’t do food inspections”, wrote Helge André Njåstad on Facebook.

He is the parliamentary representative for the Progress Party (Frp), and he himself was born in Bergen.

As such, it is perhaps not surprising that he is now embroiled in discussions around one of the city’s biggest tourist attractions.

Last Saturday, the Bergen Aquarium was inspected by influencer Sophie Elise, who responded in an Instagram story that the animals don’t have enough room to move around.

– I don’t think anything of him, with a large number of followers, belittles such a huge tourism product. He had put together something that was not his job to say, said Njåstad.

– Why did he bother to visit?

FRP politicians first spoke up Online newspapers.

– Didn’t Sophie Elise have a point?

– If he wants to have a principled discussion, he’d better write more generally about all zoos – don’t go to the Aquarium.

– Now it’s the Aquarium in Bergen he’s visiting, not the Animal Park in Kristiansand?

– I mean all zoos, not just Dyreparken in Kristiansand. Why did he bother visiting when he was so critical?

– He wrote that he was surprised?

– Very strange then, because it’s not difficult to read on the website what the Aquarium is for.

– Wasn’t born in the South Pole

Njåstad went on to say that he believes it is important to have a dissemination venue, such as the Aquarium in Bergen, to tell interesting stories about life at sea to children and young people.

– Then it was important to have penguins and fish in an aquarium in the maritime capital of Norway.

– Even if it goes against their need for a natural habitat?

– None of these penguins were born in the South Pole and moved to Bergen, replied Njåstad.

Green Youth: – Belongs to the past

On the opposite side of the aquarium debate is Frøya Skjold Sjursæther, regional leader of Grønn Ungdom Vestland, among others.

On Tuesday, she stood up in Dagbladet behind Sophie Elise’s criticism.

– There have to be very good arguments for keeping animals in captivity, and human entertainment is not one of them, says Sjursæther, among others.

Sjursæther believes that animal welfare should go beyond people’s desire for entertainment and learning.

– That people have to exploit animals because this is proof of our lack of solidarity with animals and nature. Animals have intrinsic value, and wild animals are not included in cages. Animals in captivity are a thing of the past.