Many members of the “Fedrelangdet viktigst” (Fatherland First) Facebook group were duped when a prankster in Norway posted an image depicting empty bus seats, making them believe it was an Oslo bus full of women wearing the controversial burqa, or the concealing religious headscarf worn by Muslim women.

Image of empty bus seats totally fools right-wing anti-immigration group

According to a report by the Washington Post a man by the name of Johan Slattavik took credit for posting the image, which he shared with the anti-immigration closed Facebook group – which reportedly has 13,000 members – merely to see what would happen.

What happened was that dozens of the members believed what they thought they were seeing and commented to say this image confirms the need for burqa – a scarf used by some Muslim women to conceal their faces and bodies – to be banned in the country.

Among the major debate spawned by the post, one person believed that clothes that conceal a person's identity can be frightening. Another commented that anything could be concealed under the burqa, including weapons or bombs.

Screenshots of the Facebook group's reactions shared widely

Sindre Beyer made screenshots of the Facebook post and its various reactions and publicly posted it to the social media platform to expose those who were fooled by the Prank.

Beyer commented to say this is what happens when you post an image of empty bus seats on a “disgusting Facebook group," where almost everybody believes they can see a “bunch of burqa.” That post was when shared almost 1,800 times, drawing extensive mockery to the “Fatherland First” Facebook group.

As noted in a report by The Local, responses to Beyer’s post included one Facebook member, Onur Safak Johansen, who mentioned in her comments that " just as she thought the group could do nothing more to surprise her, they go and do it again." Many commented that the anti-immigration group only saw what they wanted to see.

Beyer told the Norwegian media that he has been following the "Fatherland First" group for some time. He said he is shocked at how much fake news and hate is spread in the group and he shared the post so others could see what is going on in some of the “dark corners” of the Internet.

Europe-wide debate on Muslim women's clothing

Besides exposing the far-right group, the prank also highlighted a Europe-wide debate on the controversial attire, including proposals by the right-wing government in Norway to ban certain aspects of clothing worn by Muslim women, especially in the schools and universities of the country. This would include both burqa and the niqab veil worn by some Muslim women to conceal their face and hair. If passed, it will be the first Scandinavian country to enforce such a ban in educational establishments. However, burqas have already been banned in public spaces in Belgium, Bulgaria and France.
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