CEP Statement on the 10th Anniversary of the Norway Attacks

 

(New York, N.Y.) – It has been 10 years since Anders Behring Breivik killed eight people by detonating a car bomb in central Oslo, before shooting dead 69 people attending a summer camp on the island of Utøya. The attacks represented the deadliest violence in Norway since World War 2.

 

Before carrying out the attacks, Breivik disseminated a 1,518-page far-right manifesto, which has since been widely shared online. The manifesto consisted of advice to fellow far-right terrorists regarding physical training, weapons, and bomb-making. Breivik’s propaganda—which can be easily amplified online—has inspired additional extremists, including Brenton Tarrant, perpetrator of the 2019 New Zealand mosque shootings that left 51 people dead. Moreover, in Norway, survivors of the attacks have voiced their concern regarding Breivik’s status as an inspirational figure among far-right extremists.

 

David Ibsen, executive director of the Counter Extremism Project (CEP), said:

 

“A decade on from the attacks in Norway in which 77 people lost their lives, it is striking that far-right, extremist content remains online. The status of Anders Behring Breivik as an inspirational figure among far-right extremists is utterly unacceptable and underlines the need for greater action to target the dissemination of known extremist propaganda with clear links to violence on online platforms.

 

“The continued presence of far-right views online, along with greater exposure to extremist content over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, is of particular concern. Meaningful action between policymakers and tech firms is needed to ensure the attacks in Norway and Breivik’s propaganda do not serve as inspiration for any further violence.”

 

To read CEP’s Anders Behring Breivik resource, please click here.

 

To read CEP’s Norway resource, please click here.

 

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