Pia Strømme
Staff Writer
It was a grey day and the rain was hammering on my window. Not unusual for a summer afternoon in Norway. But when I turned on the TV I realised that it wasn’t thunder I heard minutes before.
A bomb had gone off in Oslo.
It was the day when the unthinkable happened. The day when Norway got attention from every corner of the world. It all happened very fast. No one knew what was going on. But most disturbing, no one knew what would happen next. The police warned us not to leave our homes, and to stay out of the city centre. Not long after the shooting on Utøya began. And this time the message from the police was not to call the people at the island; they were hiding from the killer.
Anders Behring Breivik planned his attacks for nine years, and described his actions as “gruesome but necessary”. He dressed up as police man, told the terrified children they were safe, and then shot them dead. Gruesome doesn’t even cover it. Anders Breivik has confessed to the bombing in Oslo and the shooting at Utøya, but claims it was necessary to save Norway from the Muslim immigration. He also stated that he believes history will prove him right.
How can one man commit such a crime, and have no respect for another person’s life?
How can one man have so much hatred and not feel any regret?
As the hours went by more questions were answered, and more horror filled the Norwegian people. We were all glued to the TV screen, and went to bed that night thinking “is this really happening?”
But the real shock came early Sunday morning. The headlines made my heart stop; at least 80 people were dead.
Shot, killed, and gone forever.
According to his lawyer, Geir Lippestad, Breivik has not expressed any regret regarding his actions. He has been examined by doctors, and the results indicate that he is a person that legally must be considered responsible for his actions.
This is a long and complicated process and the actual trial will not take place until next year.
Marie Sollid Erdahl is one of the many people affected by the event. She said: “What Breivik did was so cruel, it was such an evil act, that even today, three months after the attacks, I can’t really get my head around what happened that day.”
Jens Stoltenberg, the Norwegian Prime Minister, said: “I have a message for the culprit, and the people behind them. It is a message from all of Norway. You will not destroy us. You will not destroy our democracy or our efforts for a better world. We’re a small nation, yet a proud one.
No one will bomb us to silence, no one will shoot us to silence. No one will ever scare us from being Norway. Tonight we will take care of each other, comfort each other, talk together and stand together.” Two days later two hundred thousand people gathered in the capital. It was a march for peace.
“To see all the people that showed up for the rose march was unreal. I felt happy and sad at the same time, and I don’t think I was the only one. I was happy to see how much people cared. And sad to be reminded about why we were there. It was overwhelming.” Marie said.
It was difficult to understand what had really happened. And it was hard to accept. Brutally and suddenly Norway’s capital was turned into what looked like a war zone. But it didn’t take long before candles and flowers filled the streets.
The people who survived the Utøya massacre told stories we will never forget. How they jumped in the cold water trying to escape the island, and how many of them never made it to the mainland. How Breivik shot the children hiding in their tents. How he ran after them, cheering and shooting at everyone he could spot. Even those hiding under dead bodies. Their dead friends. We are all left with many unanswered questions. The war against terror seems to be a bad dream it is hard to wake up from. So much blood has been spilled over political and religious differences; and what has been achieved?
Maybe we can find a little comfort in that the man behind these murders is caught. But nothing will ever give us back the lives of those we have lost. Or give justice to the crimes he committed.
Anders Behring Breivik remains in custody for another 8 weeks, and will be kept in solitary confinement for 4 weeks. According to the judge, Anne Margrethe Lund, Breivik has tried to communicate with the court, but has been denied every time. After a closed hearing it was decided that he will be held in custody until November 14th, and then a new hearing will be held.
We are a small nation, and this affects us all. Our hearts goes out to those who lost a son, a daughter, a brother or sister; a friend or a loved one. Now whenever I hear the thunder, I hear the bomb. And my thought goes back to what happened in Oslo 22.07.11. This will be remembered as a day filled with shock, tears, loss and anger. A day like we have witnessed from a distance too many times before. 9/11, 7/7 and the bombing in Madrid.
But this time the distance was gone.
“When one man can show so much hatred, imagine how much love we can show together.” Member of The Labour Youth Party and survivor of the attack.
