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Editorial See other Editorial Articles Title: Norway defies the haters Even in his nation's hour of anguish, as shaken Norwegians mourned their dead, Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg vowed that his people will never be cowed into turning in on themselves and away from the world. “You will not destroy us,” he said. “You will not destroy our democracy and our commitment to a better world. Those who try to frighten us will not prevail.” King Harald V, too, reaffirmed his faith in “an open Norwegian democracy and society.” Canadians, who share Norway's idealism and openness, can only admire this grace under duress, and grieve our ally's loss. Indeed, Oslo's principled response should inspire leaders across Europe. Many are under pressure to adopt invasive surveillance policies; to curb immigration and refuse to accommodate Muslims and others; and to pare back foreign engagement and aid. Norway's No to the peddlers of fear and isolation should echo across the region. It is especially admirable given the sheer scale of Friday's attacks, some of the worst Europe has suffered. A truck bomb shattered the Labour prime minister's office in Oslo, and left dead and injured scattered in the streets. And a gunman wreaked havoc for 90 minutes at a Labour-organized holiday camp, killing scores of terrified teenagers while police were fatally slow to respond. He deliberately targeted the nation's current and future liberal leaders. The country has not faced loss like this in peacetime. Norway isn't alone in suffering from domestic violence, of course. Canada has had its École Polytechnique murders and the Dawson College slayings. The United States had its Oklahoma City, the Unabomber and other killers. It is hard to guard against such crimes. Even so, Norwegians were shocked by the prospect that the assailant might be a homegrown radical. The small but influential Nordic nation is known for its political moderation, its Nobel Peace Prizes, its efforts to broker peace in the Middle East and other regions, and its generous foreign aid. Murderous extremism has, until now, been no part of its culture. While police are still probing the motives of Anders Behring Breivik, the man charged in the 92 or more deaths, a disturbing portrait has emerged. He is a former member of the populist Progress Party, which was anti-immigrant in the past. A blog posting in his name railed that multiculturalism would “deconstruct European culture, traditions, identity and nation-states.” In Europe today, such apocalyptic views are commonplace, and too often go unchallenged. And he criticized the Labour government for spending too little of its oil revenues at home, and too much abroad. While the attacks bear the stamp of a lunatic as much as a committed extremist, Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store noted that most of the political violence Norway has seen has come from the right. “This is a phenomenon that we have to address very seriously,” he warned. Indeed, many Norwegians were left anxious to know whether the gunman was a lone fanatic, or whether others share his agenda. Tellingly, the European police agency now plans to set up a task force specifically to help countries keep tabs on homegrown terrorism. Since 9/11 the focus has been chiefly on Islamist extremism. But domestic right-wing extremists “are getting more professional, more aggressive,” and more urgently in need of tracking, a police spokesman said. Norway's day of sorrow seems to bear that out. Even so, Norwegians have been shaken by this tragedy, not cowed. They will not turn away from the world.
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#1. To: Ferret (#0)
Muslims should leave Europe while they still have the chance to do so alive.
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