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Norwegians sing to annoy mass killer
Norwegians raised their voices in unison on Thursday to get under the skin of admitted mass killer Anders Behring Breivik.
An estimated 40,000 people turned out in central Oslo's Youngstorget square to sing "Children of the Rainbow," a Norwegian version of "My Rainbow Race," written by American folk singer Pete Seeger.
During his trial for the killings of 77 people last summer, Breivik cited the song as an example of Marxist influence on Norwegian culture.
The Norwegian version of the song describes a "World where – every sister and every brother – shall live together – like small children of the rainbow," according to a report in the Norway Post.
Breivik, whose trial in Oslo City Court began last week, boasts of being an ultranationalist who killed his victims to fight multiculturalism in Norway.
Thursday's event, which included a march to the courthouse to drop roses outside, was “a beautiful, touching scene,” said Geir Engebretsen, the court chief justice in charge of Breivik's terror trial, according to a report on Views and News from Norway.
"It’s a very moving manifestation of Norwegian culture," Engebretsen said, according to the report, which cited Norwegian broadcaster NRK.
The idea for Thursday's singing statement came from two women, Christine Bar and Lili Hjonnevag, who became upset with Breivik's derision of the song and posted a call on social media for others to join them in singing it on the square, Views and News reported. They expected a few dozen people, the report said.
But by Tuesday, 4,000 people had accepted their Facebook invitation - and then 10 times that many turned up Thursday.
“I think this just shows that people felt a need to show their feelings, to make an expression of how they value the Norwegian democracy. It’s fantastic," Views and News quoted Labour Party Secretary Raymond Johansen as telling NRK.
Culture ministers from Sweden, Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Iceland joined in the song, the Norway Post reported.
Lillebjorn Nilsen, who wrote the Norwegian version of the Seeger song, led the crowd in singing both the Norwegian and English versions, according to the Views and News report.
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Is it really smart to p##sss this guy off??
A bee without a stinger is just a fly.
He's in jail, who cares?
Why not? .. isnt he locked up ? Perhaps they should play it to him as a lullaby at night.
MXD, what's he gonna do, gnaw on the bars of his cell?
Depends if you are a coward or not. You apparently are a coward. I'd rather be dead than spineless..
He's been rendered impotent or de-fanged. Who cares about this animal.
What a spineless pansy!
The headline is somewhat misleading...it is not to annoy him. It is to tell him that we still stand by the sosciety we have created thorugh democracy, no matter how much terror or hate he is trying to spread it will not make us budge and stupe to his level.
Wow... absolutely awesome...
It should be piped into his cell 24/7 for the rest of his life.
!!!
That sounds like a song we would play at Gitmo to torture people. Who wouldn't hate that song?
I remember the song with great fondness. The guy is a nut. Too bad they don't have the death penalty, he needs to be put down like the rabid animal he is.
The only thing this crowd did wrong was NOT dragging this monster out of the crout room and hanging he from his balls ....
Not big on due process huh? The rule of law is the hallmark to any civilized society. Put him on trial, judge him, THEN drag him in the streets, etc.
Yes, because that would definitely prove the power of law and order over hate and vigilantism.
This is such a nice story... rather than burn cars or effigies, the Norwegian people do the opposite, irritating evil with love and community. Much respect from the UK.
Umm yeah , and what is the white to black ratio in Norway? How many black people were injured or killed? That is probably why there was no looting or burning of buildings. If that happened in thestates and to blacks, it would be the LA riots all over again. Still may be with this shooter that went on a rampage with his bddy a couple weeks ago and the Trevon Martin crap still being drug out for no reason.
@ Tengu The same thing happened when a young black teen was killed by a right wing nutcase some years ago, no riots, the same reaction. And Michael Jackson even dedicated his album to him. This is our culture
Go Norway. Like Seeger said, music is a great way to beat fascists.
40,000+ not scared of a coward with a gun.
What is wrong über nazi, no 40,000 friends will back you up and sing you nazi tunes?
People all over the world need to fight right-wing extremists, especially in the US and Russia.
What the hell are you talking about? Where in the United States has a right wing person mass murdered citizens?
to scranton–oklahoma
people all over the world need to fight extremists. Not only the rightwinged ones. We need to fight all of them. But we cant fight them with guns or threats. It only makes them stronger. We need to fight them with reason and love... But we really need to stop extremists from deciding on this planet...
WOW, this is fantastic!! Canada is with you guys all the way!
He's not a mass killer! Mass / energy cannot be destroyed. It's not alive and cannot be killed! People WAKE UP!
Ha! This is about the most awesome display of SPITE as I've ever seen; that's just hilarious!
Perfect song for this man,,and for the state of Arizona.
The song and the ceremony was actually to praise the lost children on Utøya and the people lost from the bombing in Oslo. Not necessarily to annoy ABB.
Sorry, in America, we need a vindictive headline to get any attention for a story. Civilized nations just don't get it.
I never use the word "awesome" but this is awesome.
You likely don't like Awesome because Awesome is over used to describe things that aren't that Awesome. This is Awesome, so it's appropriate!
COOL