Norsefire


Norsefire is the fictional Nordicist and neo-fascist political party ruling the United Kingdom in Alan Moore and David Lloyd's V for Vendetta comic book/graphic novel series.
The organization gained power promising stability and a restoration of the United Kingdom after a worldwide nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union decimates the Earth. The United Kingdom and Ireland survive due to their geographic isolation and the decommissioning of Britain's nuclear arsenal, but suffers widespread damage leading to societal instability, which is a catalyst for the rise of Norsefire.
Due to the chaotic state of the world outside of the United Kingdom, the party gained power by promising order and security among the population. However, while the Norsefire regime did indeed bring order back to the country, this order came at a cost. Political opponents, Jewish Britons, Black Britons, Asian Britons, Arab Britons, homosexuals, Irish and Italian Britons, Catholics, and people of non-Christian, non-Protestant faith were rounded up and sent to concentration camps. With their potential enemies all removed within a short space of time, Norsefire began consolidating their power over the country.
In public, the party portrays itself as a Christian fascist party supportive of the Anglican Communion. In private, the party leaders are apathetic on the subject, and allows higher-ranking members to not follow Christian morality or Christianity in private as long as it did not threaten the party's power. For instance, propagandist Lewis Prothero takes illicit drugs, Bishop Lilliman has relations with children, and three Fingermen attempt to rape Evey Hammond when they apprehend her. The head of the party, Leader Adam Susan, actually worships Fate, the super-computer surveillance system that surveys the nation, and considers himself and his creation God. While this is not explored in the film, both novel and film imply that Susan/Sutler is not a fervent Christian so much as a person who values security and order, which he maintains by eliminating political opponents and cultural minorities. Similarly, the Islamophobia that Norsefire exhibits in the film is likely not the result of a hatred of Islam so much as a consequence of their perception of Muslims as terrorists, as well as that many Muslims are Arabs and thus violate Norsefire's standards for racial purity.
The Norsefire party is loosely based on the Nazi Party and the private religious views of Adolf Hitler.

Overview

In the story, the party is presented as rising during a post-apocalyptic Britain that has narrowly avoided an international nuclear war from 1988 on. As displayed during the story of Evey Hammond, although the United Kingdom did not suffer any nuclear attacks, the effects of full-scale nuclear war on other countries had severe effects on the environment, and thus on agriculture. This in its turn severely damaged the British economy and mass riots broke out. As Evey relays to V, an anarchist determined to destroy Norsefire, the government quickly collapsed and chaos overran the country.
The situation turned after several years. From the madness of the violence came the ultra right-wing Norsefire regime: fascists that united with the surviving big companies and businesses, giving them the appearance of wealth and stability. After seizing control of the country, the party gained complete control over the Anglican Church and other influential organizations to promote doctrines favorable to Norsefire. They began promoting and demoting members of the clergy as they saw fit. They also took over the television companies, creating NTV, and implemented the technologies that would allow for a closely monitored society, including closed-circuit television. In the novel the British monarchy continues under Queen Zara. No direct reference is made to the monarchy in the film, though God Save the King is played during a television comedy sketch to greet an actor playing Chancellor Sutler.
By the time the story of the graphic novel has begun, Norsefire has shut down the concentration camps and is essentially in complete control of society. Although competition exists between the varying branches of the state, they generally have complete control over the United Kingdom. Their control over the state soon faces a threat from V, the anarchist protagonist of the story who seeks to overthrow the regime and allow the people to decide their own fate. By the end of the novel, every top government official and notable figure in Norsefire has died, except for Lewis Prothero who is driven insane by V and incapacitated by Norsefire early on in the novel, and Eric Finch who leaves Norsefire after he kills V and when Norsefire collapses.
In the movie, anti-Irish sentiment is implied to be an element of party policy, Prothero mocks a member of the technical staff on his show as "that Paddy" and Creedy views Finch with suspicion on the grounds that Finch's mother was Irish and then gloats about the death toll in Ireland from the "St. Mary's Virus", although the outbreak in Ireland may have been an unintended result of infected British citizens travelling to the Irish Republic.

Motto

A common recurring motto is "Strength Through Purity, Purity Through Faith". The British Union of Fascists also used a similar slogan, "Action within unity". Another maxim often used by Norsefire as a salute is "England Prevails".

Symbol

In the book, a blue "N" on a black flag is the symbol of the party. An "N" or "NF" are the only party symbols shown. Yet, as mentioned above, the first issue's cover also features a Greek or Latin cross merged into a pair of wings rising from red flames.
In the film, the Norsefire symbol is the Cross of Saint George combined with a Nordic cross in red and black, with the black possibly taken from the flag of Saint David and the Nordic cross representing Scotland. The symbol is shown on flags, police badges, coat of arms, government vehicles, and army beret badges. Two versions exist, one with a red cross on a black background and another with a black cross on a red background.