Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Saturday urged the nation to commemorate the July 22 attacks in 2011 that killed 77 people, while emphasizing the importance of respecting diversity.
“Elected representatives must be able to find compromises, joint solutions and good settlements. And people must respect disagreement and diversity. Not to and from, now and then, but all the time,” said Store at the commemoration held in Oslo that marked the 12th anniversary of the tragedy.
He acknowledged the efforts of the national support group, which has provided crucial support for survivors and the broader community affected by the attacks. He urged them to continue using their expertise to combat radicalization and extremism.
On July 22, 2011, far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik set off a car bomb outside the high-rise building in the government administration complex in Oslo, killing eight people.
Later that day, he killed 69 others, most of them teenagers, in a shooting rampage on Utoya Island, about 40 km northwest of Oslo, where members of the Labor Party’s youth wing had gathered for their annual summer camp.
Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison in 2012 at Oslo district court.
Norway’s penal code does not have the death penalty or life imprisonment, and the maximum prison term for Breivik’s charges is 21 years. However, the term can be repeatedly extended by five years as long as he is considered a threat to society.
