Far-right group mistakes empty seats for burkas

Members of a far-right group branded a picture of empty bus seats "terrifying" after mistaking them for women in burqas.

The picture - supposedly depicting Muslim women on an Oslo bus - was posted to a Facebook page for supporters of Norwegian anti-immigrant group Fedrelandet viktigst (Fatherland First), according to Norwegian news site Nettavisen.

The post quickly attracted more than 100 comments. Some users saw through the prank, but many failed to recognise that they were looking at bus upholstery rather than the Islamification of Oslo's public transport.

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Commenters described the picture as "frightening", "tragic" and "scary", according to The Local.

One even called for women to be banned from wearing the full-length Islamic gown in case they were "terrorists with weapons".

The picture was originally shared to the group by Johan Slattavik, with the caption "what do people think about this?". Slattavik said he shared the image as a "practical joke".

Sindre Beyer was one of several people to share the post from the private group. He told Nettavisen that he wanted the public to "see what's happening in dark corners of the web".

"I'm shocked at how much hate and fake news is spreading there," he said. "The hatred directed against empty buses really showed that prejudice trumped wisdom."

Rune Berglund Steen, the head of Norway's Anti-Racism Centre, said the reaction was example of how "people see what they want to see" when it comes to prejudice against Muslims, regardless of reality.

"The buses are not full of creepy Islamists," he told Nettavisen, adding: "And rarely are so many seats empty, either."