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Charismatic Jul 24th 2011 9:14 am

Norway shootings thread
 
By popular request.

Norway is an incredibly open society.

The Royal Family is free to move about with limited security, both in the nation's relatively small and peaceful cities, as well as on holiday in the mountains or on the coast.


The country's politicians and business leaders mix freely with ordinary people in a manner rarely seen elsewhere in the world.

Few people have secret addresses and telephone numbers - open the phonebook online and you will find links not only to aerial shots of people's houses and maps of where they live, but also details about their email addresses and their place of work.

This is a society where top politicians, business executives and other celebrities often include their private telephone numbers and home addresses on their business cards.

Even their salaries and the size of their fortunes are made public by the tax authorities once a year, only to be plastered all over the newspapers.

Local newspapers do the same with small-town politicians, local shopkeepers and amateur sports people. The public is free to use the taxman's online search engine to snoop on friends and neighbours' financial affairs.

To them, living in an open society has been not just a privilege, but also a statement to the rest of the world; a display of how it is possible to live together in peace.

Such feelings were voiced after the Norwegian publisher of Salman Rushdie's The Satanic Verses, William Nygaard, was shot and wounded outside his home in Oslo in 1993, after Ayatollah Khomenei issued a fatwa against him.

At the time, the political and intellectual elite stressed the importance of resisting the temptation to respond to the fear as it quickly spread through the population by raising the barriers and increasing the intolerance of those from the world outside.
Link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14256438

The Prime Minister speaks about the events with amazing foresight into the situation :wub:. "Norway must be free, not afraid": http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-14260223

OleJanx Jul 24th 2011 9:19 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 
The smiley face before "Norway shootings thread" is wildly inappropriate.

Blue Cat Jul 24th 2011 9:35 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 
I honestly don't know what planet this wanker was on when he decided to go ahead and do this :(

WakeUp Jul 24th 2011 9:39 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 
This was a real tragedy and highly shocking. RIP

:(

al dente Jul 24th 2011 9:44 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 
Please tell me that you have to mentally ill to do something like this. The photo of the boy, standing in the water, begging for his life is haunting me.

Also, has there been a plausible explanation on why it took 30 minutes to get police there but photos was taken from a plane during the hunting session.

Of course, it may have just been huge confusion that delayed everything but he hunted and killed at least 84 defenceless teenagers over half an hour.

This whole thing is chilling and so bloody upsetting.

Norm_uk Jul 24th 2011 9:53 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 
We’re waiting for his explanation in court on Monday but if the media speculation is to be believed the perpetrator, Breivik is a man who was right-wing and anti-Sharia. He was not a neo-Nazi, but pro-Israel/Jewish, and he also apparently wasn’t particularly racist as he opposed the BNP because they are racist. He was also a Christian but not a fanatic (he was pro-gay rights).

This is what the media has dug up on Breivik so far, based apparently on his internet posts in 2010. Of course we’ll hear from his own lips why he did what he did tomorrow but he certainly doesn’t fit the bill of a mass murderer in waiting.

So apparently he was a lot like me…liberal right, anti-racist, pro-gay and pro-Israel. So I’m asking myself how does someone like that become a terrorist who kills his own people??? Where is the motive for this? According to his views he should be out moaning about immigrants and grumbling about Sharia law, not committing cold blooded murder against teens.

If this is an attack on the left it’s a very strange one. Why did he sadistically target youths who have nothing to do with policy? Even Norway’s centre-left government is quite extreme and support the war in Libya and Afghanistan – so why would he attack them?

I am puzzled, dismayed and utterly shocked. I hope he turns out to be a lone wolf Tim McVey type nut job who acted alone and isn’t part of a wider network of cold blooded murderers who will strike again and again – we have enough of those in the world already.

All I can think of right now is how terrible this day is for the parents who are burying their children.

N.

littlejimmy Jul 24th 2011 10:27 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by Norm_uk (Post 9515331)
We’re waiting for his explanation in court on Monday but if the media speculation is to be believed the perpetrator, Breivik is a man who was right-wing and anti-Sharia. He was not a neo-Nazi, but pro-Israel/Jewish, and he also apparently wasn’t particularly racist as he opposed the BNP because they are racist. He was also a Christian but not a fanatic (he was pro-gay rights).

This is what the media has dug up on Breivik so far, based apparently on his internet posts in 2010. Of course we’ll hear from his own lips why he did what he did tomorrow but he certainly doesn’t fit the bill of a mass murderer in waiting.

So apparently he was a lot like me…liberal right, anti-racist, pro-gay and pro-Israel. So I’m asking myself how does someone like that become a terrorist who kills his own people??? Where is the motive for this? According to his views he should be out moaning about immigrants and grumbling about Sharia law, not committing cold blooded murder against teens.

If this is an attack on the left it’s a very strange one. Why did he sadistically target youths who have nothing to do with policy? Even Norway’s centre-left government is quite extreme and support the war in Libya and Afghanistan – so why would he attack them?

I am puzzled, dismayed and utterly shocked. I hope he turns out to be a lone wolf Tim McVey type nut job who acted alone and isn’t part of a wider network of cold blooded murderers who will strike again and again – we have enough of those in the world already.

All I can think of right now is how terrible this day is for the parents who are burying their children.

N.

I think he probably is another Timothy McVeigh. I don't think it really matters which side of the political spectrum he professes to come from, or even which religion, he is just completely sick in the head.

Blue Cat Jul 24th 2011 10:28 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by littlejimmy (Post 9515390)
I think he probably is another Timothy McVeigh. I don't think it really matters which side of the political spectrum he professes to come from, or even which religion, he is just completely sick in the head.

I agree, his religous and political views have nothing to do with this :(

Charismatic Jul 24th 2011 10:32 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by OleJanx (Post 9515275)
The smiley face before "Norway shootings thread" is wildly inappropriate.

Positive changes can come from even the darkest of times. A generation, perhaps more, now will be sensitive to issues of extremism and able to address those of that persuasion with the caution deserved. Not a good thing of course but hopefully they can take some experiences away from this and improve their society.

For some places death is even more senseless and on a much larger scale. Think of the horn of Africa, for want of common agricultural practises (irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides...) and food transportation, thousands will probably die. Will any lessons be learned in the current political climate? Well this is the third time (84-85, 1991, 2010-present) and still they don't have a robust food supply :(.

Madam Medusa Jul 24th 2011 10:33 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 
ahhh, this is so terrible, hearing the witness account from the guy who was shot in the shoulder is awful...

yesterday they were reporting that there was a possible accomplice on the island, has that been ruled out now...?

MM, xx

scrubbedexpat141 Jul 24th 2011 10:35 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by Blue Cat (Post 9515393)
I agree, his religous and political views have nothing to do with this :(

It's his way of justifying what he's done. It must make it logical, reasonable and right in his mind.

Either which way, the relevance as you say is nothing.

Bahtatboy Jul 24th 2011 10:37 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by Charismatic (Post 9515399)
Positive changes can come from even the darkest of times. A generation, perhaps more, now will be sensitive to issues of extremism and able to address those of that persuasion with the caution deserved. Not a good thing of course but hopefully they can take some experiences away from this and improve their society.

For some places death is even more senseless and on a much larger scale. Think of the horn of Africa, for want of common agricultural practises (irrigation, fertiliser, pesticides...) and food transportation, thousands will probably die. Will any lessons be learned in the current political climate? Well this is the third time (84-85, 1991, 2010-present) and still they don't have a robust food supply :(.

I don't think extremism has anything to do with this. Just a sick weirdo.

I agree with what you say about Africa, though.

Blue Cat Jul 24th 2011 10:37 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by Scamp (Post 9515404)
It's his way of justifying what he's done. It must make it logical, reasonable and right in his mind.

Either which way, the relevance as you say is nothing.

I think we just have to accept that he is a nutcase and hope he dies a rather nasty death himself. We can't change the past sadly.

Norm_uk Jul 24th 2011 10:41 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by littlejimmy (Post 9515390)
I think he probably is another Timothy McVeigh. I don't think it really matters which side of the political spectrum he professes to come from, or even which religion, he is just completely sick in the head.

I have to agree because his political views don't support his actions. It's still just as chilling though.

N.

Charismatic Jul 24th 2011 10:42 am

Re: Norway shootings thread
 

Originally Posted by Madam Medusa (Post 9515401)
yesterday they were reporting that there was a possible accomplice on the island, has that been ruled out now...?

Just the one AFAIK.


Originally Posted by Bahtatboy (Post 9515408)
I don't think extremism has anything to do with this.


The man blamed for attacks on Norway's government headquarters and a youth retreat said he was motivated by a desire to bring about a revolution in Norwegian society, his lawyer said Sunday.

Police and his lawyer have said that Anders Behring Breivik confessed to the twin attacks, but denied criminal responsibility...


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