More on Norway

by Rastko Pocesta

I just signed the book of condolences at the Norwegian Embassy in Belgrade. I will now summarise my thoughts on the assassin after I finished reading his book and became aware of many horrific details related to the attacks.

“2083: A European Declaration of Independence” is, along with being the longest, the most disgusting book I’ve ever read (along with Mein Kampf). However, it is a fact that if these killings never took place, it would be very popular with the mainstream right. He did what they thought. We heard Glenn Beck comparing the murdered youth with the Hitler-Jugend. I heard many rightists saying how he was right, but just went too far and is now giving them the bad name. I didn’t hear them expressing remorse over the attacks. Not a single one.

Many have tried to declare Anders Behring Breivik insane; he is not. There is no insanity in his writings or acts – exclusively hatred. He took the medicines consciously and purposely. He was mentally stable and he planned the attacks for years. He bought explosives and weapons, he practiced, he prepared for that day. The sickest detail is that he used liquid nicotine in ammunition; he wanted to make sure that every bullet he fires has to be fatal. He was smiling while watching his victims die in pain and he went on shooting.

The political nature of these attacks is crucial. Many have tried to compare it to various school massacres and numerous other massacres caused exclusively by the shooter’s mental illness. He was killing for his hateful ideology and he exposed in the best way how violent and dangerous that ideology is. He still thinks that what he has done was necessary to stop the islamisation of Europe. His hatred is directed at Muslims and what he considers the “traitors.” He considered the murdered youth the traitors and he thinks they deserved to die.

I will repeat once again what I already wrote – if we don’t stop islamophobia attacks like this will spread all over Europe. We have forgotten what can happen in the wake of the great economic crisis and this is possibly the worst in modern history. The last phase of capitalism is coming to an end, one economic system will soon cease to exist. Game is over, everything is going bankrupt. Third Greek bailout is only a matter of time. And in such moments in history, far right is increasingly popular.

Some have proposed draconian punishment for Anders Behring Breivik and maximum security measures which would eventually result in turning Norway to a post 9/11 US-like police state. Therefore, I think that what Jens Stoltenberg said at the memorial service – “More democracy, more openness” is very good and important and it shows the difference between Norway and USA. If such measures are implemented, ABB and the values he stands for have won and Norway is back to medieval age.

I will end this article by reminding you of the shameful and scandalous reporting of the Western media just after the attacks. It exposes islamophobia the best way – blame the Muslims for everything – for the financial crisis, for all the social problems, for every attack that occurs. CNN even began with the conspiracy theories of how it was impossible for Anders Behring Breivik to arrive at Utøya for such short period of time and similar nonsense.

If we don’t do something about this, what follows may be the end of civilisation.

How the right-wing understands terrorism