Norway opens memorial to victims of 2011 terrorist attacks
Norway has officially opened a permanent national memorial at the Government Quarter in Oslo to honor the victims of the July 22, 2011 terrorist attacks, marking 15 years since the country's deadliest act of violence since World War II, Qazinform News Agency correspondent reports.
The memorial was inaugurated on Sunday in a public ceremony attended by Crown Prince Haakon, Minister of Digitalisation and Public Governance Karianne Tung, Minister of Education Kari Nessa Nordtun, representatives of the National Support Group after 22 July, and the Workers' Youth League (AUF).
The memorial titled Upholding, was created by Norwegian artist Matias Faldbakken.
"It has been 15 years since the terrorist attacks on the Government Quarter and Utøya. As we now open the permanent memorial site, it is intended to be a place for reflection and remembrance," Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said.
Karianne Tung said the memorial would also remind future generations of "the consequences of far-right extremism and hatred" and of the responsibility to protect an open and inclusive society.
The ceremony featured speeches by government officials, survivors and representatives of victims' organizations, musical performances, and a discussion involving the memorial's artist and survivors of both attacks.
The opening also marked the relocation of the 22 July Centre, Norway's national memorial and educational center dedicated to the attacks. The center will open to the public on July 22 in new premises within the Government Quarter, where visitors will be able to learn about the attacks, their consequences, and Norway's response.
On July 22, 2011, Norwegian far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik carried out two coordinated terrorist attacks. He first detonated a car bomb outside government offices in central Oslo, killing eight people and causing extensive damage to the Government Quarter. He then traveled to the island of Utøya, where members of the Labour Party's youth organization, AUF, were attending a summer camp. Disguised as a police officer, Breivik opened fire on participants, killing 69 people, most of them teenagers and young adults. In total, 77 people were killed and more than 200 were injured in the attacks.
Breivik was arrested on the day of the attacks and, in 2012, was found criminally responsible for terrorism and premeditated murder. He was sentenced to 21 years of preventive detention, Norway's maximum prison sentence. Under Norwegian law, the sentence can be extended indefinitely in five-year increments if authorities determine that he continues to pose a threat to society.
Earlier, Qazinform News Agency reported that more than 400 people had been evacuated after a major fire destroyed over 100 homes in Drammen municipality in Norway.
