It is no exaggeration to say that last weekend was a nightmare. The youth on Utøya island lived it, they experienced war and the survivors are marked for life. So many people dead, hurt and still missing. So many directly and indirectly involved. In little, peaceful Norway.
The first instinct was to think “Islamic terrorists” and make the link with Norway’s involvement in Afghanistan, as well as considering a known terrorist that lives in Norway (with an expulsion order against him). Later that day, many Norwegians felt ashamed about their first instinct, especially those who had not been kind to Muslim Norwegians immediately after the bomb. Who would have thought that this country could produce its own terrorist, its own fundamentalist? Not Islamic, but Christian. Quite a surprise, to say the least!
The Christian fundamentalist right-wing madman that killed and injured more people than any other such madman in history, whose name is not worth mentioning, has failed deeply. He wanted revolution; to attack the government’s way of ruling the country and attack multiculturalism. And what has happened? The opposite! The prime minister is considered to have given two excellent speeches, and a Facebook page has been created in his honour. People are marching in villages and cities, with flowers and torches and candles; to voice their support of an inclusive and peaceful society. In Oslo 150 000 people showed up to say “we do not accept violence, never again 22 July, we want democracy, we want an inclusive world”. And on Facebook, what an activity level! There are groups for “standing together as a nation”, “light a candle for the dead and injured”, “shut the courtroom doors on Monday”, “in memory of..”, etc etc. You do not see much talk about revenge, the focus is on “what society do we want” – and well, we don’t want the madman’s world.
One of the Utøya survivors says it all: « If one man can show this much hate, think how much love we can show together ».
