{{Short description|Norwegian politician (1953–2019)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2021}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Jan Simonsen | image = Jan Simonsen 2006-05-15 (3x4 cropped).jpg | caption = Simonsen in 2006 | constituency_MP1 = Rogaland | term_start1 = 11 September 1989 | term_end1 = 12 September 2005 | birth_date = {{Birth date|1953|03|03|df=y}} | birth_place = Stavanger, Norway | death_date = {{Death date and age|2019|08|12|1953|03|03|df=y}} | party = Progress Party (1975–2001)<br />Democrats (2002–2007) | website = [http://www.frie-ytringer.com/ Blog (Frie Ytringer)] }}
'''Jan Simonsen''' (3 March 1953 – 12 August 2019) was a Norwegian politician, writer and journalist. He was a member of parliament from 1989 to 2005, and a member of the Progress Party until he was expelled from the party in 2001. He was the deputy leader of the Democrats party from 2003 to 2004. Since his parliamentary term ended, he largely withdrew from party politics to focus on his writing and journalism.<ref name=db140907>{{cite news|url=http://www.kjendis.no/2007/09/13/511978.html|work=Dagbladet|title=- Noen av de drepte er tilfeldigvis fra Frp|first=Charlott Lokland|last=Pettersen|date=14 September 2007|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110930072945/http://www.kjendis.no/2007/09/13/511978.html|archivedate=30 September 2011|language=no}}</ref> He was a staunch supporter of Israel, and wrote the blog ''Frie Ytringer'' which focused on the Islamisation of Europe.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://nyheter24.se/nyheter/terrordadet-i-norge/701721-breiviks-wow-kompis-i-vittnesbaset|title=Breiviks WoW-kompis i vittnesbåset|date=6 June 2012|work=Nyheter24|language=sv|first=Matilda|last=Andersson}}</ref>
==Early and personal life== Simonsen was born in Stavanger to businesspersons Viktor Holck Simonsen (1913–90) and Martha Espevoll (1917–91).<ref name=stort>{{cite web|url=http://stortinget.no/no/Representanter-og-komiteer/Representantene/Representantfordeling/Representant/?perid=JS|title= Simonsen, Jan (1953–)|work=Stortinget|date= 9 March 2008|language=no}}</ref> He was born and raised in the city district Våland, and later lived a few years in Eiganes.<ref name=db140907/> He studied social science at Rogaland University College and has a minor in history. He was editor for the publications ''Strandbuen'', ''Video- og TV-guiden'' and the official Progress Party publication ''Fremskritt''. He was not married.<ref name=nrk6709>{{cite news|url=http://www.nrk.no/nyheter/distrikt/ostlandssendingen/valg_2009_oslo_og_akershus/1.6685553|title=- Skal bygge seg opp som alternativ|work=NRK|first=Grethe Kielland|last=Jenssen|date=6 July 2009|language=no}}</ref>
He was baptised in the Church of Norway, and as an adult remained a strong supporter of the church, but left it during the term of Gunnar Stålsett as bishop of Oslo. This was as Stålsett had been the chairman of the Centre Party in the 1970s, and got his bid for bishop supported by Centre Party MPs in 1998, with Simonsen thinking the choice to have been too politicised. When Stålsett stepped down in 2005, and was succeeded by Ole Christian Kvarme, Simonsen however rejoined the church.<ref name=idag130405>{{cite news|url=http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=7211|title=Åpent brev til biskopen i Stavanger|date=13 April 2005|first=Jan|last=Simonsen|work=Norge IDAG|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110724180658/http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=7211|archivedate=24 July 2011|language=no}}</ref>
In 2004 Simonsen was a competitor on the reality television show ''Robinson VIP'', a Scandinavian adaptation and celebrity edition of ''Survivor'' that aired in 2005, finishing as runner-up.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.nettavisen.no/artikkel/jan-simonsen-tilbake-pa-robinson-oya/s/12-95-260024|title= Jan Simonsen tilbake på Robinson-øya |work=Nettavisen|first=Hilde Kristin|last=Dahlstrøm|date=2 August 2004|language=no}}</ref>
==Political career== Simonsen was during the 1970s active in the nonpartisan youth organisation Moderate Youth, and was the chairman of its Rogaland chapter from 1975 to 1977.<ref name=stort/> He joined Anders Lange's Party in 1975, which was renamed the Progress Party in 1977, citing a great admiration of the party founder Anders Lange (who though had died in 1974).<ref name=forhold>{{cite news|url=http://www.frie-ytringer.com/2009/09/10/mitt-forhold-til-fremskrittspartiet/|title=Mitt forhold til Fremskrittspartiet|work=Frie Ytringer, Jan Simonsen's blogg|first=Jan|last=Simonsen|date=10 September 2009|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090912153817/http://www.frie-ytringer.com/2009/09/10/mitt-forhold-til-fremskrittspartiet/|archivedate=12 September 2009|language=no}}</ref> Simonsen held numerous positions within the party, including chairman of the Rogaland chapter of the Progress Party's Youth from 1978 to 1981 and vice chairman of the Progress Party itself from 1991 to 1993. From 1989 to 2005 he was a member of parliament.<ref name=stort/>
On 19 October 2001, the Progress Party expelled Simonsen from the party after 25 years as a member. The same day, the party's secretary general Geir Mo made the statement to the Norwegian news agency NTB that "the Progress Party has, after a complete evaluation, decided that it is best for both parties to leave each other". Prior to the expulsion, Simonsen had faced scrutiny due to a ''Rikets tilstand'' documentary on TV 2, alleging that he had used his position as representative to help a friend obtain a liquor license.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vg.no/nyheter/innenriks/artikkel.php?artid=9097535|title=Simonsen ekskludert fra Frp|date=19 October 2001|work=Verdens Gang|language=Norwegian}}</ref> Simonsen however hold that party chairman Carl I. Hagen misused his position to expel him together with other high-ranking members in 2001 for rather non-existent reasons.<ref name=forhold/> He has since had a poor relationship with both Carl I. Hagen and his wife Eli Hagen, though he remained largely on good terms with Progress Party politicians in general, including future leader Siv Jensen.<ref name=db140907/>
Since then, Simonsen sat as an independent member of parliament until 2005. From 2003 to 2004, he was vice chairman of the Democrats,<ref name=stort/> a party founded in 2002 largely by other Progress Party members who had been expelled around the same time as Simonsen. He withdrew from the Democrats as a member in 2007.<ref name=db140907/> While he was not a member of the Democrats, he however ran as the top candidate for the party in Akershus for the 2009 parliamentary election.<ref name=nrk6709/>
==Political views== Simonsen was a staunch supporter of Israel and its right to defend itself against terrorism, citing that he as a teenager had read much about the Second World War and the Holocaust, which coincidented with the breakout of the Six-Day War. He however assert that he had friends both on the Israeli and Palestinian side of the conflict.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=3848|work=Norge IDAG|title=Bok aktuell Jan Simonsen: Stor Israelvenn|first=Svein Villy|last=Sandnes|date=11 November 2003|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20090918195742/http://idag.no/aktuelt-oppslag.php3?ID=3848|archivedate=18 September 2009|language=no}}</ref> In 2003, he congratulated Israel for the assassination of Ahmed Yassin<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/uriks/article758983.ece |title=Jan Simonsen vil gratulere Israel |work=Aftenposten |date=23 March 2004 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050208142106/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/uriks/article758983.ece |archivedate= 8 February 2005|language=no}}</ref> and Russia for the liquidation of Aslan Maskhadov in 2005.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/politikk/article990566.ece |title=Gratulerer med drapet |work=Aftenposten |date=10 March 2005 |first=Hans Ola |last=Oustad |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20050528124959/http://www.aftenposten.no/nyheter/iriks/politikk/article990566.ece |archivedate=28 May 2005|language=no}}</ref> Before the 2009 election, he said that his most important issues was to "fight for our basic democratic, liberal and human society values against external pressure, mainly from Islamic societies".<ref name=nrk6709/>
==Bibliography== Simonsen is the author of several books.<ref name=stort/> * ''Ikke helt A-4'', 2004 (biography) * ''Guttene fra Yorkstrasse'', 2005 (novel) * ''Døden på Stortinget'', 2007 (crime novel) * ''Høyresidens frihetsaktivister'', 2009 (nonfiction)
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * [https://web.archive.org/web/20090225201900/http://www.frie-ytringer.com/ Frie Ytringer, Jan Simonsens blogg] (in Norwegian)
{{Stortinget 2001-2005}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simonsen, Jan}} Category:1953 births Category:2019 deaths Category:20th-century Lutherans Category:20th-century Norwegian journalists Category:21st-century Norwegian journalists Category:Democrats in Norway politicians Category:Members of the Storting 2001–2005 Category:Members of the Storting 1993–1997 Category:Members of the Storting 1997–2001 Category:Members of the Storting 1989–1993 Category:Norwegian Christian Zionists Category:Norwegian Zionists Category:Norwegian critics of Islam Category:Norwegian Lutherans Category:Norwegian newspaper editors Category:Politicians from Stavanger Category:Progress Party (Norway) politicians Category:Survivor (franchise) contestants