John Waagaard, a Norwegian student from Oslo, could be getting 15 years in prison for throwing a cream cake at Finance Minister Kristen Halvorsen. The incident took place on the day Halvorsen made her first appearance as finance minister. A judge ruled that both Waagaard and Halvorsen could testify behind closed doors. “It will be exciting to meet Kristin Halvorsen again, but I don’t have much to say to her. I have already apologized for the incident,” Waagaard said.

Waagaard is being charged with attempting to obstruct the duties of a cabinet minister. He says he realizes what he did was wrong, but believes 15 years is too great a punishment for throwing a cake. Waagaard had an exam at the Norwegian School of Management the next day, and said he hoped to be free to take it.

The thing we often forget in democratic societies is that politicians are supposed to serve the people, not the other way around. If you or I were to have a cake thrown at us, would the perpetrator be getting 15 years? Most would find it ridiculous to even press charges for such a mild gesture, yet Waagaard could have 15 years of his life taken away for it. This court is saying that government officials are infinitely more important than everyone else. This is not the only politician who’s forgotten their role. In America, we have a white house full of royalty who think it’s audacious for their subjects to even ask questions. This is why, in an ironic role reversal, my opinion of politicians is to “let them eat cake”.

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