2011 Norway Attacks Part III

 Other memorials and symbols

At Utøya, the place of memorial is called ["the clearing"] Lysninga; a part of it is ("the ring") Ringen

Utøya – Hegnhuset

Newspaper display case that was damaged during the explosion. In 2020 the display case was moved back to where it was in 2011.

Memorial in Mo i Rana by Nico Widerberg [no]

At Utøya, the place of memorial is called ("the clearing") "Lysninga"; a part of it is ("the ring") "Ringen" – a "ring of steel [that] hangs between trees and here the names and age of the majority of those 69 killed are engraved"; "it lies at the highest point of the island"; It was unveiled during summer 2015.

Hegnhuset was inaugurated in 2016.

"The Iron Roses" Jernrosene is located at Domkirke-parken in Oslo. The memorial has around 900 [metal] roses; they were donated by persons in various countries; one rose was created by a survivor, and some by others who were bereaved.

A newspaper display case that was collaterally damaged has been left unrepaired with its glass fractured but not dislocated by the shockwave of the bomb. In 2020 the display case was moved back to where it was located in 2011—outside [the building at] Akersgata 55, the headquarters of Verdens Gang. The installation is referred to by the governmental organisation KORO, as «Relocating the past: ruins for the future». Artist Ahmad Ghossein took the initiative to create a memorial from the shattered display. The newspaper edition from the day of the bombing is still on display.

One monolith stands in each municipality. There are memorials created by the artist Nico Widerberg [no] in the 53 affected municipalities in Norway who welcomed the same sculpture, funded by a private donation.

A minnestein ("memorial stone") to commemorate the attacks at Utøya is located at a roadside rest area with a view of Utøya that is located on E16 at Nes in Hole (municipality).

Proposed memorials

A monument at Stensparken [no] in Oslo has been proposed, including metal roses. It has not been authorized, as its planned dimensions of 34 meters (112 ft) by 20 meters (66 ft), with a height of 3 metres (9.8 ft), were judged to be too overwhelming.

The canceled national memorial at Sørbråten

As of September 2016, Hole Municipality has stopped case work regarding the request for permission to build a national monument at Sørbråten [no]; media said that the case work could be arrested for around two and a half years or longer. The government is scheduled to be a defendant in court during a three-week trial, starting 25 April 2017; the underlying lawsuit aims to deny construction at the planned location.

Previously, in March 2016, the location for a planned national place of memorial was moved from Utøya to Sørbråten – located on the mainland 350 m (1,150 ft) from Utvika and 900 m (3,000 ft) from Utøya; in September 2014 the Hole municipal council had refused a memorial at Sørbråten. The names of several of the victims are reportedly being denied (as of 2016, by next of kin) as inscriptions on the planned monument.

A committee, Kunstutvalget for minnestaden for 22. juli, chose a design by Jonas Dahlberg for the monument, and Karin Moe has called the planned monument at Sørbråten — "Breivik's Memorial Place". Later, in a Klassekampen article Moe said that "Many of the [local] inhabitants have described [...] the design as a violation, even a rape of nature [that is in place] at Sørbråten. Such is the intensity of how the memorial is being felt, that physical pain is felt merely by imagining having to face the memorial every day. The traumatized neighbors re-live the acts of terror through the brutal cut into the mountain slope ... a reminder of who acted: Anders Behring Breivik. Here his misdeed is carved in stone. No wonder that fear lies in the reactions. ... The baffling thing for the locals is this: ..., but we were supposed to be honored – not re-traumatized. Why must this incurable memorial-wound be inflicted on us, so close to [our bodies or our] life". Furthermore, she said that "Long time was needed before the September 11 memorial place on Manhattan was in place. Now an encompassing – in regard to ethics and aesthetics – pause for thinking is needed – both for the placement and the final design of the memorial". A later article suggested that "we create the monument as envisioned, but fill the scar with rock and beautify the surface", inspired by kintsugi. A later article said that "What many of us don't understand is why these plan, apparently not well-considered, now are pushed through. ... Is it [because of] prestige or out of consideration to the artist"?

Minister of Local Government and Modernization has been criticised for announcing – while Breivik was a plaintiff in a 4-day trial – the [current] decision to construct the monument.

On 14 April 2016, media said that a "report has indicated that the place of memorial will create great mental strains on the persons living in its close proximity"; the report, Nasjonalt kunnskapssenter om vold og traumatisk stress a/s, was completed in April 2015. A later newspaper article asked "And why should the little island [sic], [Sørbråten be punished with the jötunn cut – what wrong has the island done?" On 16 April 2016 media quoted board member Anne-Gry Ruud of neighborhood association, Utstranda Velforening: "I don't think that the work of art honors all who were killed, but symbolizes only pain and open wounds. ... If this work of art gives any associations, then they are to terror, death, pain and the inadequacy of society. ... This is not just a small cut on a point – it is an area of 1.2 decare [that will become surrounded by water].... I don't think that the [local] inhabitants have a responsibility to provide a location for a memorial at Sørbråten. Especially in the summer we experience a steady flow of tourists on a pilgrimage to Sørbråten. Some take selfies with Utøya in the background. Others stop the inhabitants and ask what they did that day and how we contributed. ... We have two schoolbuses that drive back and forth every day on the road just above, others passes on their way to the store, leisure activities, work or municipal center ... 260 inhabitants".

The national convention of the Progress Party decided to say "no" to place the memorial at Sørbråten.

On 25 April 2016 Hole Municipal Council decided to fund Norwegian kroner 25,000 to Utstranda Velforening, for a proposed lawsuit against the government.

In a 14 May 2016 Aftenposten article Stig Andersen [no], a film director and -producer, said that the monument of the original contest was supposed to have a price limited to Norwegian kroner 20 million; now that the government has estimated the price to 70 million including relevant extra expenses, the contestants that operated within the original price limits have been deceived.

In May 2016 the government wrote that the ongoing lawsuit about [placing] the monument [at Sørbråten], will not change the government's plans; the letter was signed by Minister of Local Government and Modernization and Minister of Culture.

In an 11 June 2016 Dagbladet article Hans Normann Dahl was quoted, "The monument itself is incomprehensible, and the idea so crass that it contains a negative and destructive material".

An 18 June 2016 Dagbladet article quoted (writings of) one mother (Gunn Rusten) who lost her daughter: "My daughter's name will NOT be displayed on any memorial at Sørbråten, but it is displayed at Utøya". She added that "Why should all the phenomenal persons living there, and who put their lives on the line that day – to save as many as possible of those on Utøya [who were later rescued from the lake] — have this as a lifelong, daily reminder of the fateful Friday when police and those in charge let a crazy man walk around for around an hour and a half – and kill at will – without intervening". Furthermore, another mother (Mai Britt Rogne) who lost her daughter said that: "We already have the grave, [and] Utøya, and one monolith in every municipality. How many places of memorial do we need"?

On 24 June 2016 the government was sued (in Ringerike District Court) with a claim that "The government is being denied construction of the memorial Memory Wound, including a parking lot, a footpath, and auxiliary developments at Sørbråten and Bergli [both] in Hole".

As of September 2016 the government has offered to ditch the "Memory Wound" draft for a monument; the site for a national memorial at Sørbråten, remains unchanged.

Swedish psychiatrist Per-Olof Michel said "I have been thinking why the government was in such a hurry. In Sweden one will be unveiling the Tsunami Monument next year – 13 years after the fact. Regarding something that affects so many people, one should let time pass and go thru things again".

Bodil Cappelen said in a Klassekampen article that "Centuries will pass ... Oh, yes. Here they have cut off a point—from the mountain mama. A landscape was not that much worth—then".

Regarding "Memory Wound" possibly being plagiarism of one of 300 candidate proposals for the pre-qualification in the contest for monument design, art historian Tommy Sørbø [no] said that "My first impression was that this is closest [to] plagiarism"; "But when the idea is so similar, I think one should examine the case further"; [the final written work for the master's degree,] masteroppgaven, of architect students Kristin Ulrikke Rønnestad og Hildegunn Slotnæs had already been published on NTNU's website, and had been exhibited in Trondheim, and had been mailed to around 200 persons and offices. So far the case has led to: government agency KORO [no] informing Dahlberg and the Department of Culture of potential allegations of plagiarism; Dahlberg denied any knowledge of masteroppgaven; student Rønnestad met with the director of KORO in April 2014. The lawyer (from the architects' trade union) that accompanied Rønnestad there said that KORO showed "a quite condescending attitude towards her". Other views regarding the case include the view of Arve Rød, art critic of Dagbladet, saying about the sketches "The likeness is peculiar, and impossible to overlook. It is difficult not to conclude that these are two completely alike ideas, but I cannot from that claim that Dahlberg has plagiarized the work of the two students"; he thinks that it is quite remarkable that [two] ideas, so alike, were found in the same contest and situation, in the same place and at the same time.

In November 2016 news broke that case work regarding the request for permission to build the monument at Sørbråten, had been arrested in September; Hole municipality's justification, cited in part the upcoming court case. In June 2017 the government cancelled the project.

Attempts at art creation

A 2016 Norwegian news article said that "Most of those that work in the field of art, probably were aware of the support group's ["the national support group after the 22 July incidents", or Nasjonal støttegruppe etter 22. Juli-hendelsene marked attempts at stopping the Danish playwright Christian Lollike when he wanted to stage a drama based on the terrorist's manuscript. Artists are in fact not as daring, as many like to think".

Legal proceedings

The police initially kept the choice of counsel secret after request from the attorney. Attorney Geir Lippestad elected to act on behalf of Breivik's defence; Breivik had specifically requested that Lippestad become his attorney.

On 25 July 2011, Breivik was arraigned in Oslo District Court. The police feared that Breivik would use the hearing as an opportunity to communicate with possible accomplices. Because of this, the arraignment was held completely closed to the media and all other spectators. Instead, Judge Kim Heger held a press conference shortly afterwards where he read the court's decision. The practice of completely closed court hearings is extremely rare in the Norwegian justice system.

The debate over which criminal charges to file was fierce. Many police attorneys wanted high treason or crimes against humanity. The prosecution ended up indicting Breivik on terrorism charges. Breivik admitted to being the gunman at Utøya and the perpetrator behind the Oslo bomb, also admitting all the other actual events. Nonetheless he pleaded not guilty, stating "I do not recognize this justice system". District Attorney Christian Hatlo asked that Breivik be detained for eight weeks without mail or visitation. The judge ruled in favour of the prosecution, stating "the accused is an imminent danger to society and must be confined for the safety of him and others. It is highly probable that he is guilty of the alleged crimes and imprisonment is necessary to prevent destruction of evidence". In accordance with the prosecution's wishes, Breivik was remanded to eight weeks detention without mail or visitation, four of those in complete isolation, to be renewed no later than 19 September 2011. He was immediately transferred to Ila Landsfengsel, a maximum security prison.

On 13 August 2011 Breivik was taken to Utøya by police to recreate his actions on the day of the massacre. Neither the media nor the public was alerted to the operation. The police explained that the surprise walk-through was necessary because Breivik was to be charged and tried for all 77 murders individually. The police deemed it less offensive to the survivors to do it before rather than during the trial. Despite the many police boats and helicopters, none of the civilians who had come to lay down flowers on the shore that day perceived what was happening just a few hundred metres across the lake from them for eight hours. On the evening of 14 August the police held a press conference about the reconstruction. It was reported that Breivik was not unmoved by his return to Utøya, but that he showed no remorse. Inspector Pål Fredrik Hjort Kraby described Breivik's behavior and indifference on the island as "unreal", as he had over the course of eight hours willingly showed the police exactly how he had carried out all of the 69 murders.

The trial began on 16 April 2012 and lasted until 19 June 2012. 170 media organisations were accredited to cover the proceedings. Breivik acknowledged that he had committed the offenses but pleaded not guilty as he believed the killing was "necessary". The main issue for Breivik was that he was not to be deemed "insane" or "psychotic", because that would lose the meaning of his message.

On 24 August, Breivik was found to be sane by the panel of five judges. He was sentenced to preventative detention (forvaring), a sentence of 21 years in prison which can be repeatedly extended by 5 years as long as he is considered a threat to society. This is the maximum sentence allowed by Norwegian law, and it is the only way to allow for life imprisonment.

Aftermath

Coop Norway, a chain of retail stores in Norway, removed several games from its shelves as a result of the attack. Some of the titles include games like Homefront, Call of Duty series, Sniper: Ghost Warrior, Counter-Strike Source and World of Warcraft. Some games were also temporarily removed from the Norwegian Wii Ware catalogue, including an on-rails shooter game.

In the days following the attacks, Norway's largest represented political parties noted a significant increase in interest for membership from young people. The Norwegian Young Conservatives and the Progress Party's Youth, as well as the Workers' Youth League (AUF) had signed up a significant number of new members after a few days. The mother parties also reported an unusual increase in new member applications, with the Conservative Party and the Progress Party having signed up almost 1,000 new members each by early August, while the Labour Party reported over 6,000 new members at the end of the month.

Far-right groups such as Stop the Islamization of Norway (SIAN) and the Norwegian Defence League (NDL), as well as the Democrats, had reportedly witnessed a boom in their memberships and interest by mid-August, with the Democrats party having signed up around one hundred new members, and the NDL around three hundred.

In the September local elections almost two months after the attacks, gains were made by the Conservative Party (up 9% to 28%), and to a lesser extent the Labor Party (up 2% to 32%). On the other hand, setbacks were witnessed by the Progress Party; the party Breivik had been a member of, (down 6% to 11%) and the Socialist Left Party (down 2% to 4%).

In the Gjørv Report, received by the prime minister in advance of a press conference on 13 August 2012, it was concluded that more actions could have been taken by authorities, to stop Breivik, to track him, or to interrupt his attacks. It also criticized the police action, in stark contrast to an internal report issued by the police earlier. A few days later, national police chief Øystein Mæland submitted his resignation, citing a lack of clear support for his position from his superiors and saying: "If the [justice] ministry and other political authorities do not clarify this matter unequivocally, it will become impossible for me to continue." His resignation was accepted and announced by Justice Minister Grete Faremo.

Vegard Grøslie Wennesland, a survivor of the incident, ran for parliament on a Labor Party ticket in the 2013 Norwegian parliamentary election A further 33 Labor Party candidates in the election were Utøya survivors and of those, Åsmund Aukrust, Stine Renate Håheim and Fredric Holen Bjørdal were also elected. However, the result brought a coalition government of the Conservative party and the right-wing Progress Party, of which Breivik had been a member from 1999 until 2004, to power.

In 2013, former AUF local leader and Labour Party cabinet advisor Ivar Fjeld released the pamphlet Den rødgrønne terrorøya ("The Red-Green Terror Island"), which documented how Utøya over several years had been used to build up support for anti-Israel politics and Palestinian terrorists. In the book he documents among other things that AUF had allowed far-left Red Youth to arrange camps on Utøya, who collected money for and welcomed representatives from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) on the island. Fjeld claimed that his purpose with the book was to warn the Labor Party about the activities of its increasingly radicalized and Islamized youth organization.

Embezzlement from terror attack victims fund

In 2016, one person was sentenced to 120 days in prison for embezzling 300,000 Norwegian kroner from Støttegruppen etter 22. Juli, a Norwegian NGO; the money was supposed to have gone to victims of the terror attack. The perpetrator was a steward of the NGO.

Semi-automatic weapon ban for hunting and Mini-14 rifle ban

On 28 February 2018, Peter Frølich of the Norwegian parliament's committee on judicial affairs said a proposal to ban semi-automatic weapons proposed the year prior now had enough political support to become law by 2021. The law will ban the Ruger Mini-14 rifle model that was used in Utøya massacre and other semi-auto rifles for hunting. However, using semi-automatic firearms for shooting sports is still legal for sportsmen who have permission for practice and competition shooting from Dynamic Sports Shooting Norway (DSSN) or the Norwegian Reserve Officers' Association (NROF).

Copycat incidents

Polish copycat

On 20 November 2012, the Polish authorities announced the arrest of a 45-year-old lecturer in chemical engineering at the Agricultural University of Kraków under suspicion of preparing a similar attack. According to the authorities, Brunon Kwiecień [pl] was an admirer of Breivik and was further inspired by the Oklahoma City bombing. Poland's Internal Security Agency (ABW) first found out about Kwiecień after it launched investigation into Breivik's Polish contacts when it became known that Breivik had ordered some of the chemicals for his bomb from Poland via internet. According to ABW, Kwiecień was preparing an attack against the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament, using a car bomb. Apart from targeting the parliament, Kwiecień was also preparing murders of Monika Olejnik, an influential journalist, and Hanna Gronkiewicz-Waltz, the mayor of Warsaw.

Kwiecień tried to arm himself in 1997; however the authorities refused his application for a firearm permit. He later started arming himself illegally, mostly with weapons bought in Belgium. He had recruited four other people for his cause, however at least two of them were actually ABW's secret agents. He was convicted and sentenced to nine years of imprisonment on 19 April 2017, later dying in prison on 6 August 2019 from what is believed to have been a suicide.

Christchurch mosque shootings

Brenton Harrison Tarrant, the Australian-born perpetrator of two consecutive mass shootings at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, said in his manifesto "The Great Replacement" (in reference to a far-right theory from France by Renaud Camus) that he was in particular inspired by Breivik and claimed to have been in "brief contact" with him, as well as meeting with his organization, the Knights Templar. The shootings took place at Al Noor Mosque and Linwood Islamic Center during Friday Prayer on 15 March 2019, killing 51 people and injuring 40 more.

Depiction in popular culture

The poem [These memories have no time to wait] Desse minna har ikkje tid til å vente (2021), by Frode Grytten

Films

[To the Youth] Til ungdommen (2012), directed by Kari Anne Moe

Utøya: July 22, directed by Erik Poppe, was released in 2018.

22 July, directed by Paul Greengrass, was released in 2018.

[The legacy of 22 July] Arven etter 22. Juli, directed by Tommy Gulliksen (Simple English Wikipedia), was released in 2021

Music

Laleh performing with the Norwegian Radio Orchestra at the National Memorial Concert 2012 in Vika in Oslo

The 2012 single "Some Die Young" by the Iranian-Swedish musician Laleh became closely associated with the national mourning process, with newspaper articles, university lectures and a number of fan videos to this effect emerging. Laleh was invited to perform as one of only two international artists at the official memorial concert in Oslo on the first anniversary of the event in 2012, and later performed the song at the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize Concert. The song went on to peak at number one in the Norwegian charts for eight weeks and was certified fourteen times platinum in the country by IFPI Norway. In a 2017 episode of Sveriges Television's music documentary series Hitlåtens historia, Laleh is invited to visit Utøya for the first time and meet survivors, reflecting on the significance her song took on as part of remembrance activities.

The Austrian black metal band Harakiri for the Sky released a song titled, "69 Dead Birds for Utøya", on their 2014 album Aokigahara.

Dutch symphonic metal band Epica released a song entitled "Internal Warfare", on their 2012 album Requiem for the Indifferent. Singer Simone Simons stated in an interview that it was about the Breivik attacks in Norway.

Norwegian pop singer Aurora released a song entitled "Little Boy in the Grass", on her 2015 EP Running with the Wolves, which is about the tragedy.

Norwegian singer Anette Askvik released a song entitled "Liberty", on her 2011 album Liberty, the official video for which contains images of the tragedy and the dedication, "Til Minne om ofrene etter terrorhandlingene 22.07.2011" ("In memory of the victims of the terrorist acts on 22 July 2011").

A 2016 song performed by the Norwegian pop-rock band deLillos, "Vi ser dere nå" ("We see you now"), was written about the attacks; one verse says: "... He set off a bomb, to go to an island, where he gunned down youth, as if it was fun".

Television

Season 6 of Seconds from Disaster premiered on the one-year anniversary of the 2011 Norway attacks (aired 22 July 2012), with the episode titled, "Norway Massacre: I Was There".

The Futurama episode "The Cryonic Woman" was briefly changed on some syndicated reruns, including the DVD rerelease, because a moment in the episode included a screen saying "Prime Minister of Norway". This was later changed to "Chainsaw Juggler".

A TV miniseries, 22. Juli (TV series) [no], about the respondents to the attack premiered on NRK 5 January 2020.