 Gjems-Onstad had according to his own statement in 1987 not seen any reason for getting himself involved in the public debate about immigration until then.The reaction followed a comment by Conservative Party student politician Knut Albert Solem, in which he "presupposed" that anti-immigration sentiment was based on feelings of "foreign-hate", something which Gjems-Onstad disputed.Gjems-Onstad contested the 1989 parliamentary election for the Stop Immigration party in Akershus, and chaired its regional chapter from 1988 to 1990.