Norway marks 15th anniversary of Breivik attacks with memorial events
Norway holds memorial events honoring the 77 victims of the 2011 terrorist attacks carried out by Anders Breivik on July 22.
Norway began commemorative events on Wednesday, July 22, to honor the 77 victims of Anders Breivik's 2011 terrorist attacks in Oslo and on the island of Utøya.
At the memorial complex in the government quarter, the names of the deceased were read aloud. Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre and the head of the Norwegian Labour Party's youth organization (AUF), Gaute Børstad Skjervø, laid wreaths. King Harald V and Queen Sonja attended a service at Oslo Cathedral.
In his speech, Støre stressed the need to continue speaking openly about what happened, the terrorist's motives, and the consequences of right-wing extremism. He noted that the history of this politically motivated mass murder should be preserved in public memory and explained to new generations, especially in light of misinformation and conspiracy theories.
Minister of International Development Åsmund Aukrust, who survived the attack on Utøya as an AUF member in 2011, also spoke at the service. Another memorial ceremony was planned for the afternoon on Utøya.
On July 22, 2011, right-wing extremist Anders Breivik detonated a car bomb in Oslo's government quarter, killing eight people. He then traveled to Utøya, where, posing as a police officer, he opened fire on participants of the AUF's annual summer camp, killing 69. Breivik said he acted in protest against Norway's multicultural policies and a "Muslim invasion." The attacks were the deadliest in Norway since World War II.
In 2012, Breivik was sentenced to the maximum penalty under Norwegian law at the time: 21 years in prison, with the possibility of extension if he remains a threat to society.
