Norway prepares for Breivik massacre trial

[Lars77]

[Diclotican]

1. Lars77

Lars77

It is painful, but necessary to be able to go forward, both as individuals, but also as a nation, that the evils of Breivik is shown, and the whole criminal think made known... And in the weeks ahead, it will be known many hard tellings about how it all was going down...

But in essence, it is a criminal case against a man who murdered many people but the whole scale of it all is the worst in Norwegian modern history.... I think we still grasp with the reality of it all. Almost a year after the facts

Diclotican

[Lars77]

2. I lived abroad when it happened and was only home for xmas

So for me its a bit difficult to grasp, its like i wasn´t there even if i saw the whole thing through the weirdo prism of the international media / CNN.

It was also very difficult to deal with the fact that all the students in my dorm just treated it like just another disaster on TV, i´m the only Norwegian in my university.

I don´t know what to think, i just know i really fucking hate him.

[Diclotican]

3. Lars77

Lars77

I'm living 25 minutes out of Oslo, in Asker - and the news of what happened that july evening was a shock for everyone, specially when it happened on a rather quiet Friday evening, when nothing really happening, and it was just another "day in paradise" so to say...

And the news was over it, both internationally and nationally, and it was little weird to look at it, in international news, as it was surrealistic to se it, when BBC and the rest tried to grasp what happened - Norway is not known for violence and for bombing against government offices... Or mass-murder on a political youth camp... And I think most people was in shock that weekend to be honest..

But I have to say, our prime minister really did the right thing, when he calmly told everyone to not get into anger, but to care for each other - and that the end of this, would not be the end of the Norway as we known it, but rather the opposite... He won many points by acting as he did... And the "borgerfred" between parties was made fast, as this was a national tragedy who hit everyone not just AP..

In the weeks after 22 july, we had a lot of rose sermonizes in Norway, where we symbolic shown, that we was one nation, even after this horrible act of terrorism.. Every party was there, from FRP to Høyre.. And regardless of party affliction we was there as norwigians... It was rather mighty to se, so many together regardless of "class" or where we lived...

I can understand that you found it difficult to deal with it - as you was the only Norwegian on the University - when it hit hard home, it hits harder when it hits a foreign land where you doesn't have to much connections to... But I hope you at least got some who could help you true the worst parts of it?...

Well, I can not say I love him, that is for sure... I think he is just mad, pure evil mad, and should never see the light of the day, the day after he got his time in prison.. I would say that he is one of the most evil men in Norway since the 1940s... Even Henry Rhinnan, who was one of the worst Gestapo Agents under world war two, had some remorse for what he did - or had at least an explanation for what he did.. My fosterfather was guarding him for a short while in 1945, and he asked Rhinnan why he did what he did.. Henry Rhinnan have said to say, "I was bullied as a kid, I wanted to get even".... He got executed for what he did, in 1946, but at least he could get an explanation for it all.. But mr Breivik have not even get an explanation for it at.. He just shoot and killed 77 people, because he believed them to be the danger for the nation...

The trial who is started today, and will be on for at least 10 weeks ahead of us, will show us a person totally out of "this world" I doubt we ever will get another like him in the criminal system anytime soon.. What he did was "just" a murder - but on a scale I doubt our criminal Justice system have really ever been build for...

Diclotican

[TahitiNut]

4. Raised in a Norwegian-American family, this hit me hard.

My maternal grandparents emigrated from Norway 95 years ago. I grew up having many weekends spent in the company of the Sons of Norway, smorgasbord at my grand-aunt & grand-uncle's home. She was a cook in the kitchens of the King of Norway when she was a teenager ... and our family's role model of "breaking flatbrot" for Sunday dinner. Prairie Home Companion is more nostalgic than humorous for me. There is NOTHING violent in the culture I assimilated ... where "uffda" was the most common expletive. I learned, from a very early age, the depth of nearly universal disgust for Quisling. I can only think in such historical terms to even correlate the sins against culture demonstrated by Breivik. "Insane" is far too forgiving an adjective. His acts are on par with war crimes ... heinous without peer.

[Diclotican]

5. TahitiNut

TahitiNut

It is interesting, that you see yourself, as some Norwegian, even after 95 year abroad .. And it is nice to hear, that you have experienced what it could be, to be an Norwegian, even tho yourself was american by birth... It is also interesting that your grand-ant was the cook in our Royal Household in old times.. I hope Haakon 7 was not a demanding king to make food for then .. He was respected in most homes, and specially under the war, many found him to be one of the few things that made it possible to get true the war intact.. In most homes, before the war, and specially under the war, the picture of our king and queen, and the royal family had important places in the living room.. And many had this tradition to have the king and queen (After Maud died, the King was often alone.. And it also was the case with Olav V , who lost his wife before been King in 1953).

Norway, and Norwegians are not exactly known for being a people who is outspoken violent by nature..(It is after all, a long time since Norwegian was the scours of the earth when the Vikings made plundering trips all over Europe) Even tho I believe most Norwegian could swear harder words than "uffda" we as a country often is seen as peacefully, maybe even timid people, who try very hard to get along, even when the other side is a bully.. Maybe it was one of the reasons the german occupied forces had a peacefully time in Norway, as most of us, just get along ,and doesn't wanted to attack our repressor... And Quisling, the most known International recognized Norwegian last name was a name who could even not long ago, make old men swear in anger... (And I mean SWEAR!!)

What Breivik did is maybe not unstably for most of us, even today, as the trial against him are under way, I guess he is sleeping as we speak now, is a trial of the century.. We have not had anything like this in Norway, not since the trial against the war criminals of World War two... I think it is the only similar case to show, as Breivik did a horrible thing when he murdered so many innocent victims.. And it is difficult to understand why a sane person could do anything like this to his peers..

I hope him never to be able to walk out the prison cell as an free man.. I hope he wil be hold under lock and key for the rest of his natural life... And I also hope he, at least for himself, is fearfull of what become of him, if he ever was making his way into "general population" at the prison... He would not be able to walk around in peace.. Even murderes, have expressed sorrow, and also bluntly put It to their guards. If he ever was to get out in general population, he would not last long....

Diclotican