On October 2022, the Norwegian newspaper Morgenbladet published an article about a secret ME seminar that was held at the University of Oslo. The organizer, Lightning Process researcher and professor of psychology Silje Reme, claimed to Morgenbladet that the police were on standby.

According to Oslo Police District – Unit Downtown, however, none of this is registered in their relevant systems. They also state that Unit West, which is responsible for the area Blindern where the University is located, has had no contact with the organizer. Secret ME seminar in Norway; Were the police on standby?

One of the participants at the secret seminar was research director at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Signe Flottorp. In connection with a freedom of information (FOI) request it has become known that she did not keep the programme, which the participants only received on paper at the meeting. Flottorp has also deleted the e-mails she exchanged with the organizer. Deletion of case documents is contrary to the Freedom of Information Act and the Archives Act. See a statement by The Parliamentary Ombud for Scrutiny of the Public Administration: “Processing of a complaint about access to deleted data files” (Norwegian text).

In connection with the FOI request, Flottorp contacted the organizer and was sent the invitation and a redacted version of the programme. See the invitation to the seminar here. Read about Chatham house rule.

There was a mediastorm around Flottorp in December 2022 when it became known that she – via private channels – had tried to influence members of the National Research Ethics Committees (NEM) in connection with the complaint about ethical pre-approval of the controversial Lightning Process (LP) study:

Science Norway: NIPH manager tried to influence ethical approval of ME research (Norwegian text)

Science Norway: Researcher about the conflict surrounding ME: – Almost a state of war (Norwegian text)

Flottorp has been an active supporter of LP researchers for many years. In 2020, she tried to pressure Norway’s National Research  Center in Complementary and Alternative Medicine, NAFKAM to withdraw and apologize for their risk assessment of LP. A consistent tactic is to call ME patients and other researchers «activists». Morgenbladet: When people don’t take ME patients seriously we have to put our foot down. (Norwegian text)

Silje Reme recently told the newspaper Khrono that the LP researchers have received a storm of anonymous FOI requests. Khrono: A storm of FOI requests against ME researchers; – Completely absurd. (Norwegian text)

This is part of the constant smear campaigns against ME sufferers. It is not without reason that ME patients require information about their research. FOI requests have revealed a number of objectionable aspects of the project. Nina E. Steinkopf in Khrono: The constant smear campaigns against ME sufferers. (Norwegian text)

Flottorp is a public employee. Her job is to manage knowledge and science about disease. The Norwegian Institute of Public Health depends on the trust of the population. Flottorp’s activism and secrecy surrounding own activities is problematic and reminiscent of sectarian activities. The LP has many similarities with a sect: Is the Lightning Process a sect?

Written by

Nina E. Steinkopf

Former HSE and Quality Chief Executive

Now; ME- patient and writer