The picture is clearer today. The pain. The grief. The tragedy. We know the extent, the objective, and the senselessness of what has happened. We know that more than 90 people have been killed and many have been injured. Most of them were young people taking part in a political youth camp organised by the Norwegian Labour Party. The event is almost inconceivable. And yet it is now part of our common reality. An experience we must learn to cope with, understand and live on with: This is something that can happen.
The indications are that the atrocity has been carried out by a single, right-wing, Norwegian extremist – or by only a few. Terrorism has struck from within. Out of a confused political analysis, one or more people have seemingly acted to target a Labour Party that more than anything else represents modern Norway. He – and those who may have been with him – has chosen to strike at democracy where it hurts most: at trust, openness and compassion. The cold-blooded murder of young, committed people can only be seen as an attempt to disavow both the legitimacy of society and the values upon which it is built.
