When the Nazis occupied Norway during WWII, the Norwegians protested — nonviolently — by wearing red-knitted hats with tassels called nisselue.
Now as our country’s democracy is seriously fraying, Minnesotans, many of whom are of Norwegian descent, are again protesting — nonviolently — ICE’s occupation by knitting and wearing these same hats.
The “Melt the ICE” pattern is available for $5.00 from the Needle and Skein Yarn Shop in St. Louis Park, a suburb of Minneapolis. The profits are donated to immigrant groups trying to save themselves and their families from ICE’s brutality and from deportation. Many of the immigrants have lived in Minnesota for years and even decades; many are naturalized American citizens.
I first heard about these hats from a Swiss-American friend, an expert knitter who was making hats for her non-knitting friends. While I’m not a knitter or Norwegian, I can share with you a story of a protest of my own.
On January 9, 2026, two days after Renee Good was fatally shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, and 14 days before Alex Pretti was fatally shot by ICE agents in Minneapolis, my husband and I were having lunch at Chipotle restaurant in Rochester.
Our table was near the takeout window. Two ICE agents got in line: Big Guy and Little Guy. Both were dressed from head to toe in the intimidating ICE uniform, masked, and loaded with guns and ammunition.
Big Guy turned around and we made contact. He waved at me with what might have been a smile behind his mask. I couldn’t tell. I glared at him and shook my head, giving him what we called “a dirty look” in my Idaho childhood.
Big guy and Little Guy then took turns going into the women’s bathroom. Not the men’s but the women’s bathroom. They each stayed a long time. Not finding anyone to arrest, they were apparently waiting to see if anyone came in that they could drag out and arrest.
When they turned to leave, Big Guy once again looked at me and waved. I glared at him and shook my head, clearly disapproving of him.
Finally, they left. As they did, I realized that my behavior could have resulted in being hassled or even arrested even though we are not immigrants. Being an old woman (79), little (4’10”), and white may not have been any kind of a protection either. Both Renee Good, a mother of three children and Alex Pretti, an ICU nurse at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center, were white.
BTW: many men in my family are proud Veterans, including my husband.
Wearing a red-knitted hat won’t save us from Trump’s ICE agents. Neither will glaring at them. It’s going to take American citizens to wake up to what is going on, to fully resist, and to vote against this administration — unless Trump somehow stops our voting and he’s threatening to do so.
We are proud Americans fearing for our country.
Hi Jane: I have been a resident of Lanesboro since 2006. It didn’t take me long after moving from St. Paul to Lanesboro to discover that there aren’t any immigrants here – except a vast majority of the residents who happen to be Norwegian!! There have been several large fundraisers in the community to support various non-profits in the Twin Cities. One very active group is a non-denominational congregation known as the Discovery Faith Community that meets regularly at the Sons of Norway.
Thanks for the historical reference in your article. Some old timers around here may remember nisselue from the old country.
I have heard opinions like Mr. Walker’s from others on TV, always Republicans supporting Trump. Federal troops are illegally sent to communities that don’t need or want them because the president’s wants to show his power in blue states and communities where it is obvious there will be protests. To millions of us, ICE does not appear to be legitimate “law enforcement”. They are NOT trained sufficiently in how to address LEGAL citizen protests. Now two people are dead for no good reason. Three thousand ICE soldiers (a ridiculous number) heavily armed, masked and wearing brown (yes, looking like Nazis) are not just after “murderers, rapists and child molesters”. (In fact, who has ever seen a published list of those criminals that have supposedly been caught?) Real law enforcement does not act like aggressive thugs and murderers. Watch the videos! The whole terrible scenario in Minneapolis is a direct result of Trump using ILLEGAL power to send federal troops to BLUE states. When ICE begins to act like legitimate, trained law enforcement, things will change. I hope funds are not approved for ICE until its rules of operation are drastically changed. Resist!
Who is Andrea? She is a beautiful, very smart friend of mine from Boise, Idaho. We’ve been friends since 7th grade. I have now posted a passionate “pro” (Chuck Walker) and “con” about Trump and ICE (Andrea’s). Two Idaho friends from my home state. I know people in this country identify with one or the other. I personally don’t think at this point we can change anyone’s mind with words so I rarely try to do so. What will change minds is people actually seeing what is going on — the TRUTH and how it is personally affecting individuals. Everyone is going to decide what that is for themselves. The bottom line is that we all want to save our democracy. We all want to be happy, safe, cared for.
Thanks, Jane. I have another story about Norway and Nazis, that may be new to you. I got a copy at Barnes and Noble just yesterday of “Snow Treasure” – I had lost both my copy and a replacement from a friend,and was thrilled to learn (via granddaughter and the internet) that this book was still available, from the 1970s! The Norwegian gold was saved from the Nazis by kids on sleds. There was only one copy in stock, so I ordered several to share. Also, this granddaughter is a superb knitter, so I would love to get the hat pattern for her, to knit us both hats. Thanks again.
I love that bumpersticker, Addie. It’s so true. Loved your story, Jane. Thank you for that bit of protest. It all adds up.
Jane…thanks for addressing a sensitive topic
My father was drafted and fought in the Normandy Invasion & the Battle of the Bulge for freedom. My husband was drafted and fought in Vietnam and doesn’t consider himself a hero for that. Most family’s history includes ancestors who came to US as immigrants. We hope our two graduating grandsons will not be drafted. Our 20-year old granddaughter recently witnessed ICE agents come into the coffee shop where she was working, not to buy coffee but to check out bathrooms. It was a scary for her and customers. I don’t know what it will take to turn things around in our country but I pray for a decent future for my children and grandchildren. We need to stop the blame game and correct the wrongs but protect the innocent. Right now we have lots of opinions, lots of different angle views from cameras, Artificial Intelligence, scared people, angry people, divided families and chaos…..What we need (and it will take a long time to heal) is PEACE.
P (Protect) E (Elevate) A (Avoid inflammatories) C (Compress) E (Educate).
I hope it is possible to have an honest difference of opinion and still be friends! I disagree with the view of “immigration and ICE” as presented by Jane and her “sympathizing commenters”.
The illegal immigrants problems – murder, rape, theft, fraud, child molestation – in the U.S. were enhanced tremendously by the “Open Border” policies of the Biden administration! What about protection for U.S. Citizens from all the crimes / murders committed against U.S. Citizens by the criminal illegal immigrants? Federal Law Enforcement is required to remove such from our society! Local Law Enforcement should cooperate with Federal Law Enforcement. Federal Law per our U.S. Constitution has precedent over Local Law.
My view of Minneapolis is that Local Law Enforcement, the Minneapolis Mayor, the Governor of Minnesota, and the “local and imported protestors” are trying to prevent Federal Law Enforcement from doing its job!
The problems that exist in reducing the criminal element of illegal immigrants in Minneapolis did not exist in such activities in other cities such as Washington, DC and Memphis, TN, where law and order / crime reduction / murder rates have improved greatly!
Those of you that are so strongly anti ICE look at the law and look at the facts and see things your way! I do not agree with your analysis or your resulting view! We have an honest difference of opinion!
As background, there is the ever increasing evidence of aggravated fraud among the political leaders of Minnesota – and, yes, Minneapolis! As this specter increases, possibly cooler heads will take another look at the the roads those leaders were going down in other respects – maybe – in maintaining law and order!
Meanwhile, we have this honest difference of opinion. Do we both think we are on the right side of law and order! Let’s keep looking at the laws and staying with the laws – or peacefully changing the laws – there is a way to do that without getting people killed – as we work our ways through this very serious confrontation!
Here is to cooler heads and ongoing analysis of what is going on! Federal Law Enforcers are not Nazi Gestapo Agents! Some huge investments are being made to try to make them look that way!
I happened to serve my country in the U.S. Navy! It could just as easily have been in Federal Law Enforcement / ICE!
I knew in posting “Minnesota Protest” that there would be friends and family who would strongly disagree with me. Today many friends and family members have walked away from each other because they strongly disagree about what is, and what should be, going on in this country. One such person is Chuck Walker.
Who is Chuck Walker? He was in my first 13-week memoir-writing class at the Kootenai County Library in Rathdrum, a tiny town outside Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. As we shared our stories in class, I learned that Chuck was a Naval Academy graduate. One of his stories was from his youth: at his father’s gas station on Route 66 in Arizona, his dad had kindly allowed dusty, desperate Okies from the Dust Bowl to take baths at his station. In a totally different story in his elderhood: at his church in Coeur d’Alene, weekly he sat one seat away from Don Larsen, the famous New York Yankee pitcher who pitched the only perfect game in World Series history. When Don died, the music they played as they walked to the after-service buffet featuring hot dogs was “Take Me Out to the Ball Game.”
Chuck is a kind, lovely man. And always a friend. Always.
Jane,
Thank you for being so considerate and, I believe, fair in approving / publishing my comments for viewing by your distribution – and for your very kind comments pertaining to me! It is a pleasure to have you as a friend, always, even though we have an honest difference of opinion on the Minneapolis Protestors versus ICE confrontation!
It will be interesting to see how history views such!
I am grateful to you, again!
Chuck Walker
FYI – Norway was the only occupied European country that never signed papers of surrender to Hitler’s Germany. Their public protests may have been nonviolent but the resistance movement was very active and effective. There is much to read about the heroes who sabotaged Nazi plans to build the atomic bomb in Norway and many other dangerous plots and missions.
Good for you! Scary times indeed. I am so proud of everyone in Minnesota standing up for what is right and good.
You can be sure that I will be voting against cruelty and intimidation, but for civility and freedom.
Jean might add she is a very proud Norwegian and her husband is an equally proud Norwegian/Dane. Both are American citizens.
The blatant reality is the impact that the ruthless acts, shown by ICE and Border Patrol, are unacceptable. They are causing widespread harm to the mental health of the average citizen and others, to families, and to our economy. That our current administration has lashed out to immigrants and others in this hostile way – and lets be clear that such includes not just illegal immigrants but those who have supported our country – is abominable. We must stand in community to speak up against such. Wish I was a knitter.
Congratulations on your protest. Doing what we can. Caucuses were last night in Rochester and our citizens showed up in force. Doing what we can. One of my favorite bumper stickers is “Artists don’t make good slaves.”
That’s a great bumper sticker! I’ll have to remember that one. 🙂
Anything other than a glare could have been perceived as approval. Well done.