The hidden victims of coronavirus -  Ronja the Thief and Pernille the Rascal open up! 

“Come in”, says Ronja the Thief cheerfully, and invites us into a back alley. The colleagues – but, first and foremost, friends, Ronja the Thief and Pernille the Rascal have been kind enough to invite us “home” to the office – a lousy alley not far from Pentagon. “This is my favorite alley! There’s something about the graffiti that inspires me, it has a very criminal look”, Pernille tells us. I willingly enter the alley, which has a cozy, vandalized feel to it. Nothing says dangerous criminals like penis art and swearwords. 

By: Julie Westergaard Karlsen 
Photo: Lina Grünbeck

HIGHLY AFFECTED BY THE PANDEMIC 
Ronja the Thief and Pernille the Rascal may not seem concerned, but that is far from the truth. Just like the rest of us, they are very much affected by the pandemic. “Everyone’s home all the time! It’s impossible to steal anything”, Ronja the Thief says hopelessly. “Not only that, but a lot of people have gotten sleeping issues, so there’s no use trying to break in at night either!” Pernille the Rascal says.  

The pairs’ problems are lining up. Now that the students are even poorer than usual, it’s harder to steal from them. Even stealing bikes has become harder to do. “Luckily ,the bikes are kept outdoors, but it’s impossible to sell them, now that the Swedish borders are closed. And nobody even disinfects them!” 

WORK FROM HOME 
Ronja the Thief has by no means been loafing around. Like most others, she has been working from home. “In the beginning, I pretended to be an African prince, with a large inheritance to give away. But I quit it after Pernille the Rascal pointed out that I was upholding harmful stereotypes. Now I’m advertising fake Vazelina-concerts on Facebook. That way, I can keep reaching the same audience (Editor’s note: NMBU students). But it’s hard getting people to trust you with a name like mine. It ain’t easy being called Ronja the Thief.” 

FEEL LET DOWN BY THE MUNICIPALITY 
Despite their entrepreneurship, they are both having financial issues. Like the students, they are not getting any compensation for their loss of income. Neither do they get the opportunity to take on a bunch of extra loans that have to be paid back. “Before, I could always trust the local authorities. The municipality has always had my back, and never given a damn about the bike thefts in Pentagon,” Ronja the Thief tells us. “But it’s different now.” 

For Pernille the Rascal, the hardest part is the lack of acknowledgement. “Ås Avis and the municipality physician don’t give a damn about my situation, they’re only focused on the students.” Pernille the Rascal sighs. “The fact that the municipality physician is calling each and all of the 5000 students at NMBU rascals, and not me is tough. I put incredibly much work into my mischiefs, but nobody cares. I feel completely invisible.” 

Tun & Tre’s journalist asks if the feeling of being invisible might have something to do with their outfits – a criminally black hoodie and balaclava – but gets a can of beer thrown at them and concludes the interview. 

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