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Haakon Mosvold Larsen / NTB Scanpix via Reuters
Marie Naess and Aashild Nestdgaard Roe (R), both 16, tie roses onto railings outside a courthouse where admitted mass killer Anders Behring Breivik is standing trial on Tuesday.
OSLO, April 25 (Reuters) - Norwegians protesting against mass killer Anders Behring Breivik will take to the streets of Oslo on Thursday to sing a children’s songs that they're hoping he will just hate.
They plan to sing arm-in-arm a few blocks from the courthouse where Breivik is on trial for the killings of 77 people in a gun and bomb rampage last year.
"I grew up with this song and have sung it to my child," said Lill Hjoennevaag, one of the organizers of the demonstration.
"Everybody I know feels strongly about this song and we need to take it back," she told public broadcaster NRK.
Lillebjoern Nilsen's "Children of the Rainbow," a Norwegian rendition of American folk singer Pete Seeger's 1971 "My Rainbow Race," is a popular song in Norway.
"Breivik has used it as an example of brainwashing, but it is rather an example of the opposite," said Christine Bar, another organizer, who launched the event on Facebook.
"We think it represents diversity, and it stands for the community we have chosen to live in, and which Breivik and similar people want to tear down," she added.
Breivik, set off a car bomb in the capital Oslo, killing eight people, then gunned down 69 people, mostly teenagers, at a youth summer camp organized by the ruling Labor Party on July 22.
Breivik has shown no remorse and made no admission of guilt. ITN's Paul Davies reports.
Also on Wednesday, the confessed mass killer slammed a psychiatric report that declared him insane as based on "evil fabrications" meant to portray him as irrational and unintelligent.
Norway's Breivik gives 'terrifying' testimony
"It is not me who is described in that report," the right-wing extremist, who admitted killing 77 people in bomb and shooting attacks on July 22, said in court.
A second psychiatric examination found Breivik sane. The five-judge panel trying Breivik on terror charges for the attacks will consider both reports.
Breivik admits to the bombing of Oslo's government district and subsequent shooting massacre at the Labor Party youth camp, claiming the attacks were "necessary" and that the victims had betrayed Norway by embracing immigration.
Images: Norway mourns after massacre
If found guilty, Breivik would face 21 years in prison, though he can be held longer if deemed a danger to society. If declared insane, he would be committed to compulsory psychiatric care.
After listening to testimony describing the horrific injuries of the bombing victims, Breivik showed no remorse, saying if anyone should apologize it was the governing Labor Party.
He said he had hoped they would change policy on immigration after his attacks.
"But instead they continue in the same direction, so the grounds for struggle are unfortunately even more relevant now than before July 22," Breivik said.
Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Leave a Comment:
i want to give him one of my turtles.i like turtles.
Singing a song he doesn't like will teach him a lesson!
That song seems like the more extreme punishment if you ask me. Since his crimes were directed towards anti-Islam, they should let an Islamic country try him and give him a punishment he truly deserves.
I swear, the world would be a LOT safer if cruel and unusual punishment wasn't banned in most places.
maybe they should make him listen t barney. hey it works at gitmo. amirite?
We'd rather inflict cruel and unusual punishment on the societies that we release these monsters back into.
Excellent idea! Hate should not be answered with more hate, but it must be protested. Positive alternative has to be presented. Bravo for the singers and people who came up with that idea!
Here is that song, original English language version: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v3RVONRqPkQ
I have no intention of killing anyone for ANY reason and I hate this song.
They should be executing him, not protesting him. But whatever, Norway!
Norwegians Rock! Protest hate with love!
Have to admit, I do like this idea as well and I normally would not. Considering the reasons for what he did and message he tries to spread, its fitting as it does not feed into what he wants this trial/circus to become.
Having said that, I don't feel 21 years would ever be enough or that he will ever get justice equal to what he did. Don't want that to be lost in what I said above.
Anyone else think that finding him insane would be for the best? To me, I would rather have impressionable people around the world see this was the act of an insane man than that of an intelligent person acting in his right mind. And I partly think that to him, being declared insane would be the worst punishment. It invalidates what he preaches as mindless dribble and I imagine that would drive him crazy. Just like singing the song outside the court. Eh, who knows... just a thought.
there is no way to take back those 77 lives so you are right there can be no equal justice, he will never be released, they can hand out 21 years for each murder, anyway if it is 21 they can hold him indefinitely if they feel he isn't "rehabilitated" at that time. I would imagine the families of the victims would take care of him one way or another if he were ever released
Forget the song. Only one sound should finish this. BANG. The end.
21 years in prison unless he proves to be a danger to society. Funny I think the answer to that question is obvious.
People have talked about what should be the right punishment and weather hate should be met with hate or love. I don't think that hate should be met with hate but instead with justice. The man took over 70 lives adults and children in premeditated cold blood. I think the answer for punishment is clear he needs to be put to death. What his views are is irrelevant he can have those views and so long as he did not act on them he could have lived his life (sad though). Regardless in my personal belief one day he will stand before the throne of Chirst and will answer for his crime against the ultimate Judge GOD.
so kind of the equivalent of singing "It's A Small World" at him. Awesome. There's your cruel and unusual right there.
I'm still shocked at the 21 years! This guy should be taken out back and shot while all of the victims families watch and sing that song. This wasn't a military action, this was the blatant murdering of innocence.
I have a feeling that in 22 years (assuming the trial is swift and it doesn't happen much sooner), someone's going to give him the sentence the EU forbids, but he so much deserves.
Play the song in his cell 24/7.
I like the idea of the Norwegians protesting hate with a song of love. As for the bit about him being a danger to society.....well, duh!
And the creep himself will eventually rot in Hades. I can't see God wanting to ever meet with him for any reason. I'm not particularly religious, but I'm sure there is some kind of afterlife, and the afterlife for him and others like him will not be fun. I'm sure there are those of like minds are awaiting his arrival: Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, Idi Amen, bin Ladin....a whole host of them, just like him.
21 years! That's all he gets is 21 years!! He should be put to death or life in prison, ESPECIALLY after admitting that he was sane, and would kill again. How stupid is the justice system!!
He's claiming that he's sane. Do you believe him?
What exactly are they protesting? The guy was arrested. I am not aware of anyone who condones what he did. We are all in agreement on this one people. No protests necessary.
You don't understand. They are aiming their protest at Brevick and those like him. Thye want to show that his ideas are not the people of Norways ideas. The more that join the protest the more those racist will see they are not wanted.
It would be nice to think that condemnation of Beivik is universal, but sadly it is not. There actually were several posters on a Breivik thread here on Newsvine the other day who were defending him, not only his motives but his methods.
How remarkable. A secular country acting more Christian than us swaggering, tobacco chawin', gun totin', God lovin', gay hatin', abortionist killin', Born Again yahoos that that call for the death penalty in cases of murder, rape, and Black men in the White House.
Most of us have no problem with black men in the White House. We do however have a problem with incompetent men in the White House.
Well fortunately the bad Bushman is gone.
I suggest you research the penal codes of Norway...they truly have an eye on rehabilitation and not throwing away the key. The laws in Norway are designed to eventually release a person back into society a better person than when they went in. I know that is a crazy concept by American standards. I'm not opposed to life in prison when necessary (and this guy should get it) or even the death penalty (and this guy should get it). But the US has handed over the prison system in America to corporations who only make money when they have inmates. It is rarely about rehabilitation and often more about containment and revenue for the corporation.
Ellis: Bingo. Prisoners are paying customers in the corporate prison system. You rehabilitate them, not as many of them will come back.
That's why 1% of our population is in prison; more than any other country.
Actually we the taxpayers are the paying customers, being required to hand over an immense sum to private corporations keeping people locked up for things we as a society don't even view as crimes. How did it come to this? Piece by piece, the fear has allowed it. We are made to fear each other, and that drives us to accept an unconscionable rate of imprisonment in the US. Land of the free? Try visiting somewhere else and compare for yourself.
Looking at him gives me the chills. Those are some evil eyes.
There's kind of an easy way around the 21 year thing. Sentence him CONSECUTIVELY for each victim.
Just another terrorist.
Killing innocent people only hardens their stance. For an allegedly 'intelligent' person Breivik just doesn't understand this.
Giving into his demands only invites more violence to affect change. Breivik ensured that Norway will be a multi cultural society for the indefinite future.
Question is, should we kill dumb people? I mean, believing in dumb things is done by dumb people. Nothing against ideas and beliefs, problem is, some of these beliefs will inspire horrifying things to dumb people. So, to prevent future horrifying things from happening, should we just get rid of dumb people from this planet? Surely locking up or killing this guy will not prevent future dumb people from acting on some stupid belief?
Well if he ONLY killed one OLD person, would he get 26 WEEKS?
Enjoy this psychopath, conservative theocrats. He's one of yours. He is the logical end game for the hatred, fear and xenophobia each one of you carry around with you.
"...take to the streets of Oslo on Thursday to sing a children’s songs" - Do the half-wits at MSNBC posing as journalists even read the garbage they write? Is there not one single editor - or person with a high-school diploma - on staff at MSNBC? You hacks need to go back to middle school and learn English grammar, and then apply to journalism school. Or better yet, hang it up and let REAL, PRINT reporters take over so you can go back to flipping burgers, semi-literate and irresponsible morons. How many other errors are there in every article you publish without editing? You have no credibility and one fewer reader. Good luck in your race to the bottom - you are fast catching up with CNN and Fox News in lack of credibility and accuracy.
This is an excellent show of strength, that the Norwegian people would affirm their values of inclusiveness and tolerance rather than retreat into fear, hate and vengeance. In Norway at least, the terrorists have not won. All those on here advocating execution and torture, that is precisely the world that Brevik et al. are hoping to create. Embracing violence only furthers his cause.
Right. Mr. Breivik is a good reflection of the true blackheart of Norway. One need look no further than their treatment of the children fathered by German soldiers during WWII to see behind the flimsy veil of their "values".
Also, if he is crazy, he's not qualified to provide an accurate self-assessment. Of course he doesn't agree with the evaluation, he's delusional.
Brevik committed the murders BECAUSE they have no death penalty.He knew this horrendous act would make him famous and he would LIVE to enjoy his fame.And now he has the one thing he wanted above all - media attention - listening to and reporting his every pathologically narcississtic rant.
If Norway had the death penalty this gutless,mentally twisted hate freak would NEVER have commited those murders.He's no martyr - he a narccissist,in love with his own hate filled ego.