I live in the safest, most peace-loving country in the world. We do not seek attention or put ourselves in harm's way. We participate when we are called upon by our allies, but we contribute mainly in diplomatic solutions and peace keeping missions. We thought ourselves safe.
But we were not safe.
For nine years, one of our own planned and schemed to hurt us at our core. Our democracy, which the entire western world believes in, was not good enough for this man. Why? Because he was not heard? Because nobody agreed with him? Because the newspapers wouldn't print his views? Extremist internet forums were evidently not enough. He had to get his message across. So he planned. And he schemed. He studied and he read, and in his own words made himself a small fortune on a successful business just to finance his plan.
He comes across as well articulated, although extremely lofty. He has read so much, I cannot even fathom how he did it. All the while he had to keep himself fit and pure (sex before marriage was forbidden, he was clear on that in his manifesto), taking care of his image and looks as part of the "marketing" he had in mind. This involving youtube videos, carefully constructed Facebook and twitter accounts, including professionally taken photos, after getting a tan, a haircut and "light make-up". All to look his best. He knew people would find him. He knew the power of social media. He didn't get some random picture of himself on tv. He chose the picture himself. He planned to get caught, although he figured he would probably get shot first. Now we see the next step he's planned - he wants to tell the world why he did this in a lengthy statement in an open courtroom at tomorrow's hearing. I hope he doesn't get his wish.
Our hunger for information, to understand how, why, above all, why, these hideous, terrible, cowardly acts were carried out, is insatiable. He knows this. He finally has his audience. And we're captured. We're hanging on every word of his 1,500 p manifesto. It makes me more than a little bit sick.
Even the world's initial reaction served his purpose: "Muslims! Terror! Retaliation from the al Quaida!" He spread hate and fear of foreign culture right away, as planned. As said before, he planned on getting caught, on being demonized, as he is. This man is not insane. He is cold, calculated, has a sharp intellect and seems balanced and relaxed through hours and hours of interrogation. He merely tells his story, to a captivated audience. We cannot look away.
If his reasoning seems logical to you, please remember that this reasoning killed close to 100 people (numbers yet uncertain), most of them teenagers and mere children. Innocents. This was the worst and most deadly attack by one man ever recorded. So he got another wish. He was definitely heard. He goes down in history, even.
I cannot ask of you not to listen. I cannot ask of you not to hear what he wants to say. The world needs to record this, hateful and twisted as it is. We need to remember, so as to not let history repeat itself. And we need to remember what a young girl at Utøya said:
"If one man can create so much hate, imagine how much love we can create together."
This man will not break us. He will not kill our spirits. We will not bow to terrorists, foreign or domestic. The answer to terrorism is more democracy, more openness.
I am so proud to be Norwegian. We are a formidable people, who can stand strong and calm throughout this. Our leaders are strong and clear headed. We will mourn our dead children, and we will see justice served. We will be stronger because of this, and we will stand together, regardless of religion, ethnicity, gender and age.
WE ARE NORWAY, AND WE WILL NOT BE BROKEN!
