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Subscribe to RSSLawyers for Anders Behring Breivik warned Norwegians would find his statement to the Court upsetting. Breivik spoke of carrying out "the most spectacular and sophisticated attack on Europe since World War II." During his statement, Breivik showed no remorse and made no admission of guilt. ITN's Paul Davies reports.
An expert sociologist says the testimony of far-right mass killer Anders Breivik should not be curtailed because his “repellent” views and rambling speech will actually put people off extremism.
Professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen, who has been called as an expert witness in Breivik’s trial, said self-confessed killer’s beliefs about immigration were “widely shared” in an interview with British broadcaster ITN.
In a scene unimaginable in many countries, Breivik this week got the chance to explain his fanatical views to the court and the world, unrepentant and dressed in a business suit. Prosecutors and lawyers for the families of his 77 victims even shook his hand.
The 33-year-old far-right militant gave a rambling hour-long address to the court on Tuesday, reading from a statement that essentially summarized the 1,500-page anti-Islamic manifesto he posted online before his bomb-and-shooting rampage nine months ago.
"The attacks on July 22 were a preventive strike. I acted in self-defense on behalf of my people, my city, my country," Breivik declared, demanding to be found innocent of terror and murder charges. "I would have done it again."
Breivik: I was motivated by goodness and 'would have done it again'
Breivik has five days to explain why he detonated a bomb outside government headquarters in Oslo, killing eight people, then drove to a nearby resort island, where he massacred 69 others, mostly teens, at a summer youth camp run by the governing Labor Party.
Breivik, who has admitted carrying out the grisly acts, boasted they were the most "spectacular" by a nationalist militant since World War II.
Breivik’s speech, which angered victims’ family members who were present, was not broadcast on television because of a court order preventing live feeds during the killer's testimony.
Sociologist Professor Thomas Hylland Eriksen, interviewed by ITN's Sam Datta-Paulin.
However, Professor Eriksen told ITN Breivik's speech was more likely to harm his cause.
Eriksen said:
"Parts of his world view are clearly widely shared, not by a majority but by substantial groups who feel globalization is not going their way, that their country is being invaded by a foreign alien enemy Muslims and feel that they are being ruled by spineless multiculturalists who don't see the dangers of Islam.
"I've been of two minds myself but I've reached a conclusion that it's a good thing to give him this platform because he doesn't appear credible, he's not very charismatic - he does't have ... the appeal that would attract people so I think he works more like a repellent, a mosquito repellent against right-wing extremism because people who see him realize how bad it would get if they are attracted to these crazy notions of purity of race."
On Monday, Norwegian prosecutors and even lawyers representing the families of victims shook Breivik's hand as the trial opened, raising some eyebrows. Prosecutors shaking hands with defendants would be a rare sight in the U.S., as well as in neighboring Sweden and other Nordic nations.
"That was a bit strange," said John Christian Elden, who represents some survivors but is not participating in the trial.
Breivik had asked to wear a uniform in court in pretrial hearings but was rebuffed, and he appeared at the trial in a business suit and tie, his thinning hair neatly combed.
"We don't have orange jumpsuits and that kind of thing in Norway," his lawyer Geir Lippestad said. "This is a completely normal way to dress in a Norwegian court, even in a serious criminal matter."
'Childishly defiant'
On Wednesday Breivik told the court he had been inspired by Serbian nationalism.
Anders Breivik to Norway court: I killed 77 people but am not guilty
Asked how he had changed from a teenage vandal on Oslo's prosperous west side to a methodical killer, he said he helped found a militant group called the "Knights Templar" in 2001 but refused to give any details to back up the claim.
The original Knights Templar were a medieval brotherhood of European knights that pursued anti-Islamic crusades.
Breivik deflected five straight questions about supposed allies and repeatedly tried to tell prosecutors how to phrase themselves. He became visibly irritated and swiveled a pen in his hand.
Breivik's trial, to last 10 weeks, turns on the question of his sanity and thus whether he can be jailed. He has said that an insanity ruling would be "worse than death."
Group blasts Marine Corps for reviving 'Crusaders' name and symbols
He came off as "childishly defiant," Tore Sinding Bekkedal, a survivor of the island massacre, said during a break on Wednesday. "He's trying to steer the proceedings and failing."
If found mentally sane — the key issue to be decided in the trial — Breivik could face a maximum 21-year prison sentence or an alternate custody arrangement that would keep him locked up as long as he is considered a menace to society.
If declared insane he would be committed to psychiatric care for as long as he's considered ill.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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He sounds just like Ted Nugent and the other right wing, gun toting nutjobs in the republican party.
Really? What gun toting nutjob in the Republican Party has advocated murdering 77 people? There is a difference between people standing up for their personal rights and somebody who murders children to "save his country from multiculturalism". Shame on you.
Ooh, ooh! I'm the first person to comment. Let's make it as vile as possible! That will really get people going. This just made my day!
-Sandy
I guess you don't watch much news outside of Fox or read much news either. Just a quick example off the top of my head the Congressman who said we should electrify the border fence with lethal voltage. That after a few mexicans died they would stop coming. You had republicans jumping on board for that insane idea.
So a few dead mexican children is all right for those republicans.
Shame on you and anyone that supports the republican party.
Dingle, the truth hurts sometimes and you usually get people screaming at you for baring that truth.
What a completely asinine statement to make. As off the wall as Nugent may be, I have never once heard him advocate murdering innocent people to support his cause.
Breivik is definitely off his rocker, but I do not think that he is anywhere near the definition of legally insane. I can not believe that the maximum sentence is 21 years. The part about "alternate custody arrangement that would keep him locked up as long as he is considered a menace to society" is a little unclear. Does this mean he could be held indefinitely or that he could be released sooner if they feel he is no longer a threat?!?! This guy should never be allowed to see the light of day again other than through the bars of a prison. After killing 77 people, there is no way he should ever again be allowed to roam free.
It means he can be held indefinitely or released if deemed a non-threat, although I highly doubt that will ever happen.
I remember when this case first broke, people were defending his ideology. Maybe not what he did, but definitely in support of his idealogy. If you combine violent rhetoric, that ideology, and firearms... you have an explosive mix.
I know FAR more dems with arsenals in their basements than repubs. Maybe that's just because I live in a blue state. I don't know any nutjobs that own guns, nor have I ever seen one - but they must be everywhere else with how often I see this ridiculous comment. Glad I don't live (or have never visited) wherever all these "nutjobs" are!
I'm starting to wonder if the word "nutjob" has been redefined to mean "someone with a different opinion than you". I'll stick to the old, intelligent english myself. "Nutjob", to me, still means a guy like Breivik.
I think Sandy is channeling this guy's spirit today....
"Norway killer Breivik's court rant will deter extremism"
LOL. They must have never been on Newsvine. As long as there is a keyboard to hide behind, extremist views will dance with each stroke.
I wouldn't blame Ted Nugent, but all those Republicans who want to kill any woman who now can't have an ectopic pregnancy surgically removed before she dies, or who dies because she can't get pre-natal care anymore and she suddenly develops spiking high blood pressure and liver failure (pre-eclampsia), but doesn't know that she will die without immediate surgery and C-section (and the doctor has to wait for approval to do that). Those are REAL DEATHS, and many Republican states such as Texas and Arizona are right now KILLING women.
After reading your comments, I guess I will move on to another post where people aren't sounding so ignorant.
Well he DID just make a statement yesterday that "...We should chop off their heads this November"
Of course, you may think that political opponents are not innocent and therefore you support the chopping off of their heads, but most rational people would reasonably construe that as advocating violence toward innocent people.
Further, he is also wanted for questioning by the secret service because of threatening language directed at the President of the United States. And I believe he has said in the past something along the lines of 'Hillary (Clinton) should suck on my machine gun'
Though I am in agreement at the incredulity that Brevik could ever go free after killing 77 people. He certainly is not insane, and I would have no problem with the death penalty in his case. Hung drawn and quartered sounds about right actually, with daily waterboarding before his execution to boot.
Sandy, a few dead criminals wouldn't bother me in the slightest. YESS CRIMINALS. Whatever their age. If they come into this country Illegally they are criminals.
It's not a bad idea actually..Putting up an electrified fence. Post it properly of course. Let them know the danger of entering. Just as they do at some prisons and security areas on some bases.
"...whatever their age"
Thank you, Janine, for illustrating just what kind of monsters you repugs can be.
Here is the scary part:
There are people like this in the United States.
history, on repeat-peat-peat-peat...
onward christian soldier, GOD must be so proud.
"im so angry at islam and islamics for trying to take over the world, im going to kill a bunch of white christian kids at a day camp"
logic, is not this dudes strong suit.
Jessica-1170252
It is actually logic, from his point of view, because in his twisted mind, these kids were betraying their own country and culture (they supported multiculturalism).
They may or may not have supported it, but they weren't involved with creating it. Plus he blew something else up. I say nutjob, but then he'd get a slap on the wrist from self-loathing liberals. Liberalism, after all, is a mental illness.
Ah, Newsvine, where a story about a rightwing nutjob slaughtering kids at a liberal camp becomes an excuse to attack liberals.
the defense breivik uses is that he was only standing his ground.
Well he did it in two different places. He moved around alot, actually ;)
First let me be clear, I don't condone his actions, he is a cold blooded killer, a terrorist, and there is no excuse for what he did.
But about this:
This sounds strangely familiar ... like some groups/people in middle-eastern countries (Taliban and Al Qaeda for example), they too kill leaders whom they feel are not fundamentalist or extremist enough (just watch what will happen to Karzai after NATO leaves, and what happened to other leaders before 2001), they too kill people for being either non-muslims or not good enough as muslims, they too don't want non-muslims in their countries.
Why is it that many think "we should respect their culture and religion" when referring to muslims (and I agree with that, other then the abusing girls and women part but that's another story), but strangely don't seem to think the Catholic/christians deserves the same respect, have the same rights, that they too would like to keep their culture and religion alive, and that they too may feel invaded when there is more and more muslims in their countries.
Why is it that we expect muslims, in Afghanistan for example, to go as far as killing a christian preacher just because he preaches and is not muslim, or killing people over a burned Qur'an (i.e. many seem to think its ok and normal, after all these christians were in muslim country), while we expect western governments to tolerate radical muslim clerics who speak of terrorists as heroes, in their own (western) countries? I think I can safely say that most people in western countries wouldn't think its ok to kill someone for a burned Bible, nor to kill a muslim cleric because he preaches, nor to kill a citizen because he/she is a muslim.
Of course I don't think we should start killing people over a burned Bible, nor a muslim for being a muslim and/or preaching, but I can clearly see a double standard. Briefly I think we are a little too tolerant (i.e. we even make excuses for them) of muslims who kill people for a burned Qur'an in Afghanistan versus their zero tolerance for the people who burned said Qur'ans (which by the way had already been written on by muslim prisoners). I am all for our troops getting out of there, certainly it is their country, but I am also all for them being fully responsible if their country shelters terrorist groups and allows them to conduct attacks on western countries again.
My opinion about multiculturalism is that people should adapt as much as possible to whatever country they live in (without having to convert to a different religion tho), and should have to respect the culture and rules of the country where they decided to live, while being allowed to practice their religion, and live according to their culture if they wish to, as long as it doesn't infringe on other people's rights nor on the rules and laws in the country where they chose to live.
norway must be a reral scam country imagine letting a mass killer wear a suit/tie, the judge/lawyers shaking his hands, award him 21 years in prison for killing 77children, take him to the island to have him re-enact the killings and give him the podium to tell everybody about his feelings/ crimes etc. why give him an expensive trial paid for partly by the victim taxes; he already is guelty since he confessed the killings; who are these people writing these dispictable laws in norway disgusting hope the world as result will ban this country from doing commerce and tourism with, shame, shame;
To think, Norway used to be vikings, now they are like this. Sad
This is a case that requires death penalty. One cannot kill innocent people and then claim I am innocent because it had to be done to stop Islam. If he wants to stop Islam, he should encourage Christian families make 10 babies each. And make sure babies end up as Christian as well.
this breivik person is morally insane, what else is there too say?
If you listened close enough you could just about hear Breivik say....
"Sieg Heil!!!"
So if Hitler had heard him speak we would not have had WWII. Yeah sure. These "experts" keep thinking, or hoping we are dealing with a mostly sane and peaceful world like the one they have in academia (and not so much there lately now that I think about it). And this one for sure does not understand the mindset of extremist Islam.
Breivik's acts were abominable. He has forfeited his right to live. It would be fitting if he were beheaded, Muslim style. That being said, his acts are understandable. Unless the United States wises up and send every terrorist alien Muslim back to the repressive, women and gay hating, jihadist countries they come from and locks up every traitorous Muslim we have been foolish enough to admit to citizenship in this country, it will be a very short time before some US citizen will also lose control and emulate Brevik. We are being pushed beyond control by people dedicated to destroy us, who have a religion that promotes and advocates killing anyone who is not Muslim, and on whom can never, never, never turn one's back. We deny this threat at our peril.
Breivik and Nugent share similar extremist views and their ranting diatribes illustrate their disconnect from reality. As guns, hate, and random violence are the common denominators they value as a "solution" to a "perceived" problem, it is a dangerous mix indeed. It is something that we will continue to live with here in the US because of our attachment to available firearms. It isn't a question of "if" dramatic deadly events like this will happen, only the frequency of them. Guns don't kill people, people kill people, but the problem is that when they have access to them, people kill people with guns.
Though I am not proud of it I have to admit I have killed a few people with guns. They were pointing them at me and wanted to kill me and take your freedom away. I stopped them from doing either. I will again if I have to because you will NEVER take may gun away from me and as long as I am alive YOU WILL BE FREE.
I am guessing Breivik had some deep self esteem issues. He was looking for an outlet for a lot of stored aggression. I think we will probably find out there is more to this than just pure idealism. It takes a certain type of insanity to kill that many people without (it would seem) even breaking a sweat. They would do well to find out what is going on upstairs in this mans case ......
Agreed.
Nugent and this Right Wing wacko have more in common than you might imagine.Both believe guns are solutions to cultural and political ideas and people they don't like. The biggest difference is Breivak has used his gun and Nugent, so far,only talks B.S and implies he would use his. Both are cut from the same moronic cloth.
Now here is something that may make some of you a little more nervous than you would like to be at night, in the dark, in your bed, about to nod off. If you think Ted Nugent is the only one in this country with those sentiments you are sadly mistaken. I do not share that kind of thinking to that extreme myself. I will however defend the United States Constitution against all enemies, foreign and domestic, as my oath binds me. The majority of Americans will, no doubt.
Make that Breivak,Nugent and Bob W are cut from the same moronic cloth.Plus,add to it the three of them have unresolved manhood issues.
Maybe, earsport, but Breivik is a much better musician than Nugent.
lol seriously ... comparing Ted Nugent with a cold blooded killer, you guys smoke way too much of a certain plant.
There is a slight difference between a guy who used his gun to kill people in cold blood and a guy who likes having a gun to protect himself, there is a slight difference between a guy who advocates killing, and kills, people, and a guy who simply expresses his opinion in words that are, I guess, too strong for some of us.
So just in case you didn't get it, no he didn't mean to actually cut heads off lol.
Here's one for you neocons/teabaggers, evantaliban did you know that the hatred of mult-cultralism is also hated by Rep West of Florida ? So I guess that means your party does have a lot in common with this mass murderers.
"...Unless the United States wises up and send every terrorist alien Muslim back to the repressive, women and gay hating, jihadist countries they come from and locks up every traitorous Muslim we have been foolish enough to admit to citizenship in this country, it will be a very short time before some US citizen will also lose control and emulate Brevik..."
Jack, while I sympathize somewhat with your issues re: Islam. As a dedicated lefty, I have some differences with many of my fellow liberals in how the West needs to deal with the challenges set forth by Islam and the Middle East. Islam as widely practiced is in many ways one of the most illiberal philosophies out there, and broadly at odds with many of the ideals that liberals/progressives hold dear. That said, I do not want to see the liberal democracies of the West becoming what they purport to hate in waging this battle, nor do I want real flesh and blood Muslim people (most of whom just want to work and support their families, just like everyone else), thrown under the bus. When rounding up "every terrorist alien Muslim" for deportation, are you planning on avoiding the nice Muslim lady who fills my prescriptions down at the corner drug store?
Hmmmm, I think Brevik had the right idea!!
why waste time and money on this raving maniac? just fry him
It feels more and more what I'm wondering. Is there more to Brevik than meets the eye, and we're all gullibly reacting the way we are suppose to seeing everything at face value. Him killing mostly, or all white Christian Norwegians, him setting back the right and anti immigration movement when it was starting to get strong, as this article is even about, at some point he (slips?) in his manifesto(?) and says something about they should work with Hamas. Even the opposing side is shaking his hand and happy for his rants in court. Why didn't he kill Muslims? Could he actually be hired by Muslim extremists to take out all these Norwegians and look nuts? It's just too bizarre. Or for all his menacing, maybe he was just too afraid to take Muslims straight on. Or he can be just nuts. Ridiculous, scary man!
What is equally insane as the murderous acts which Anders Breivik committed, is the crazy light sentence Breivik would receive from the Norwegian court system if he were found sane. - RC
In my opinion, Breivik should be strapped with explosives, and all 77 families should each be given a detonation button to push. (No one will know who pushed the button first.) - RC
Terrorists' court rants are not a deterrent. The wounded John Brown's rant to reporters sparked the civil war. The abolitionists were correct, but not using terrorist means. Now I've read similar rants on the internet to the Norwegian killer; it really isn't a good thing.
The closest you could come to an insanity defense for Breivik is the concept of "settled insanity", in this case (dangerous) religion induced "settled insanity". But in that case you would have to potentially include hundreds of millions of other people in this world who are also equally infected with these dangerous "End Time" terminal religious beliefs, whether or not they have decided to commit crimes yet in support of those dangerous "End Time" religious beliefs. But even so, these hundreds of millions of religiously infected people are still latently suffering from "settled insanity" themselves, which actually might be an important case worth making via Breivik's case. - Rick Carter
(That's only if you don't like the 'ka-boom solution', mind you.) - RC
I do not get this ranting and raving from people on this post about someone else other then Breivik's slaughtering 77 innocent people in Norway. It is not about Nugent or Bush or Obama. Bringing USA politics into this is completely ignorant. If you want to fight about Left vs. Right go to a political forum It is about one nut job of a despicable Human Being. It should be about what kind of sentence he should be receiving for MASS Murder! I myself do not think 21 years in prison would be 1/77th of the punishment he should receive. I also think Norway is out of their minds in letting this killer go on and on about his reasons and making a mockery out of any Court. He's guilty, period. Put him away forever to never be heard from or turn out his lights! I know there is no Death Penalty in Norway so the Lights Out is out of the question. So the most he can get is about 4 months for each of the 77 1st degree murders. I'd like to say something is rotten in Denmark about this but its Norway. In Texas this horrible creature would be receiving the needle right about now and the 77 family's and most of the Nation would be breathing a sigh of relief of his demise.
I am constantly amazed by how frightened people, making comments on this site, is of a society of law. He did a crime, he is getting a trial, he is getting a cell. Why is this thought so terrible. DEAL WITH IT. No special treatment, neither positive or negative. Just a nother onslaught against democracy that changed nothing.
And it is not 21 years, it is 21 until his case is reassessed and he gets another 5 years. Then another 5 until his case will be reassessed again etc. etc... He will never get out.
OSLO, Norway -- The Norwegian anti-Islam militant whose bomb attack and shooting massacre shocked this small country last summer was charged on Wednesday with terrorism and the premeditated murder of 77 people as officials prepared for a trial to start next month.
Timothy James McVeigh (April 23, 1968 – June 11, 2001) was a United States Army veteran and security guard who detonated a truck bomb in front of the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in Oklahoma City on April 19, 1995. Commonly referred to as the Oklahoma City Bombing, the attack killed 168 people
Manson believed in what he called "Helter Skelter," a term he took from the song of the same name by The Beatles. Manson believed Helter Skelter to be an impending apocalyptic race war, which he described in his own version of the lyrics to the Beatles' song.
Osama bin Laden was indicted by a Federal Grand Jury in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York, on charges of Murder of U.S. Nationals Outside the United States, Conspiracy to Murder U.S. Nationals Outside the United States, and Attacks on a Federal Facility Resulting in Death[151] for his alleged role in the 1998 United States embassy bombings in Kenya and Tanzania.
The list goes on and on.
Nothing will change until we make a fundamental change in our way of thinking.
So sick of hearing about Tim Mcveigh. Now it will be him and Brevik to counter every time someone says something about all the other ills of the World or Muslims. 2 men.