"Minnesotans deeply care for one another. When something happens to our neighbour, it impacts all of us," Gilah Mashaal writes to Science Norway. She runs the yarn shop Needle and Skein in Minnesota's largest city, Minneapolis.
Over the past few weeks, large demonstrations have taken place in several American cities. Many are dissatisfied with the American immigration authorities ICE, after two civilians were killed by federal agents in Minneapolis.
In the same city, activists – including the employees at Needle and Skein – have been knitting red hats as a form of protest.
Sound familiar?
Norwegians did the same during the Second World War.
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"You can certainly smile a bit and ask, 'what did this actually mean?' But the struggle over attitudes and the simple symbols in it showed an aversion to the Germans, the Nazis, and Nasjonal Samling," war historian Guri Hjeltnes tells Science Norway.
Nasjonal Samling was the far-right political party in power during the war.
Guri Hjeltnes has researched and written several books about World War II.(Photo: Knut Neerland / University of Oslo)
Activist with a red beanie films a federal agent in Minneapolis on Monday, 2 February.(Photo: Ryan Murphy / AP Photo)
The colours of the flag
On 8 December 1941, the use of the Norwegian flag was banned except when flown on flagpoles. The flag ordinance was issued by Nasjonal Samling, with Vidkun Quisling at the helm.
Even so, people did not let the flag lie. Quite the opposite.
At the time, sending Christmas cards was an important tradition, often featuring illustrations of barn gnomes.
"In 1941, the painter Frank Wathne created a series of Christmas cards that were seen as highly provocative. One showed a gnome pulling the Norwegian flag out of a rose-painted chest. The gnome's hat had a tassel in red, white, and blue, and the cat wore a red ribbon," says the war historian.
Even cards showing gnomes without hats were provocative.(Image: Thorbjørn Egner / Norwegian Folk Museum)
The Nazis' attempts to suppress Norwegian identity during the occupation sparked a backlash. When the Christmas cards were confiscated, people began wearing gnome hats themselves.
"Many small but powerful symbols emerged. Quiet, yet visible forms of protest: A paper clip attached to the lapel, a flower in a buttonhole, a red gnome hat on the head, a mourning band on the arm, or paper clips hanging in long chains around the neck," explains Hjeltnes.
A gnome-hat controversy
As the hats became more widespread, the Nazi authorities felt forced to tighten restrictions. On 26 February 1942, wearing red knit hats was officially banned.
'From this day forward, knit hats will be confiscated from anyone found wearing them, and legal action will be taken,' reads a newspaper clipping from an exhibition at Norway's Resistance Museum.
But refraining from wearing a hat could also be seen as a form of protest.
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On 23 February 1942, the Trondheim police department announced that anyone caught wearing red knit hats would be punished.(Exhibition photo, Norway's Resistance Museum: Wolfmann / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0)
"Reactions to the use of red hats could take on comical dimensions – historian Berit Nøkleby recounts cases where people were reprimanded for going without a hat in cold weather – in other words, for not wearing a red hat. That, too, became a new form of protest," explains Hjeltnes.
This clipping from the local newspaper Sarpen shows that wearing gnome hats had real consequences. The notice is from Monday, 11 May 1942. Translation: Police chief Barman Jensen took action against four young girls who were wearing knit caps (gnome hats). The hats were taken from them, and statements are now being taken in the case.(Newspaper clipping: Sarpen / National Library of Norway)
She says that the gnome hats, like other symbols, became part of a broader struggle over public attitudes.
"The aim of this struggle was to win public opinion over to the right side, against the Nazi occupying power. It was carried out both through rational arguments and with national symbols," says Hjeltnes.
Above all, these symbols made resistance possible.
"This was a form of everyday resistance that many people could take part in. Very simple means, but incredibly effective. It was a signal, both to the Nazis and to the people you encountered: 'we stand together'," the war historian explains.
Melt the ICE
Expressions of solidarity are a key reason for the use of red beanies at ICE protests in Minneapolis – much like the Norwegian resistance involving red gnome hats during the occupation, according to Kaja Bakke Sparre at the University of Oslo. She researches protest movements, among other things.
"In the United States, there are times when going out into the streets to protest can be dangerous and involve real risk. Wearing a hat can therefore be a way of showing sympathy and support for the movement without exposing yourself to significant danger," she tells Science Norway.
A person wearing a red beanie waves the Minnesota state flag during a memorial service for Renee Nicole Good, one of the people killed by ICE.(Photo: Go Nakamura / Reuters)
After Renee Nicole Good and Alex Pretti were killed by US immigration authorities in January, large demonstrations broke out.
"The beanie has been revived in this context, and that gives it a distinct symbolic meaning in the Norwegian-American state of Minnesota," says Guri Hjeltnes.
The yarn shop Needle and Skein in Minneapolis has created its own knitting pattern for a red pointed hat with tassles and is encouraging people to knit their own.
They have called it the Melt the ICE hat.
"We wanted to do something in a time where a lot of us felt helpless. Knitting this hat is both an act of protest and self care," says Gilah Mashaal, who runs the yarn shop.
The shop has shared an Instagram post explaining that their hat is inspired by the Norwegian red pointed hats used to protest the war. They believe the design feels especially relevant to bring back now.
"As of today, we have raised over 700,000 dollars to help our community," says Mashaal.
Bakke at the University of Oslo thinks it's unlikely that this kind of activism has a direct effect.
Kaja Sparre Bakke researches attitudes and reactions to democratic backsliding and autocratisation at the University of Oslo.(Photo: University of Oslo)
"Even if the effect isn’t direct, we know that social protest movements like this are more likely to succeed when they involve many people. The larger the movement, the more pressure it places on authorities," she says.
Bakke explains that a broad grassroots movement that spans multiple social groups tends to be more effective than one limited to a single political or social group.
"It's harder for authorities to dismiss a movement made up of many different groups," she says. "It does seem to have had some effect. It's certainly been talked about. ICE and the Trump administration have faced more resistance than they may have anticipated. Maintaining that pressure will be crucial if the movement is to achieve real impact and success."
