In autumn 2015, Norway received tens of thousands of new refugees who mainly came from countries at war such as Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan. Red Cross enlisted thousands of volunteers who helped to receive the refugees. In parallel, xenophobia and hate in social media increased with the number of asylum seekers

came to the country. Red Cross wanted to mobilize the average Norwegian to distance themselves from hatred in social media, and to create a more positive attitude among Norwegians towards the refugees.

A group of refugees of middle-eastern origin are sitting in a classroom, trying to learn Norwegian. Young girls and boys are solemnly struggling with the unfamiliar words of a language that is obviously very new to them. Eager to get the intonation right, the young refugees are seemingly oblivious to the fact that the words used in the learning process are harsh comments from immigrant-hostile Norwegian Facebook-pages. This is made absolutely clear to the audience by superimposing a racist Facebook status on the screen as the last immigrant boy repeats a Norwegian word, trying to read the last word from the status correctly.

There are no actors in this film. These refugees are living in reception centers around Norway. The comments are real comments written by immigrant hostile Norwegians in different Facebook groups. Like many European countries, the ongoing refugee crises have sparked heated debates in Norway too. These debates are often polarized by the extremist views of a small minority expressing fear and hatred fuelled by prejudice and ignorance. Language is the most basic and fundamental key to integration in any society. At the same time, language can also be the most destructive factor in integration when it is used to express misconceptions and racism. Encouraging viewers to talk with refugees and not just about them, the goal of the Norwegian red cross is not only to make people think twice about posting negative comments online, but also challenge the Norwegian people to get to know the refugees– by talking to them.