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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.
Good on you Norway.
🙂 from UK
Make the murderer listen to it everyday
In America, that would be a gay song
me think the lady doth protest too much. it's ok, you can come out now
Don't speak for me.
What does that have to do with anything?
You know I'm American, right?
Selmers is a troll. x2
Conservatives have ALWAYS hated Pete Seeger. He's too American for them.
Jim stole my line! Good on you Norway! from the US
I agree; this should be a daily event. Send his blood pressure soaring until he pops like a balloon.
Crank it up! Record it and play it day and night and pipe it into his cell.
Idon't agreewith killing people, but Breviek doeshave a point: When there are too many different peoplewho are culturally estranged from one another, and borders no longer mean anything, you no longer have a country. Insuch an environment, a government grown too powerful can do anythinng it desiresto and get away with it.
Your talking about America right?
Tex – are you an American....I think not...you should probably go hide back under your Xenophobic rock...please do us all that favor.
I LOVE Norway!
"Norwegians sing to annoy mass killer". Don´t write mass killer. It should say terrorist, because that is exactly what he is.
40,000 gather – does anybody wotk over there? they must be the the 99% of norway – why work just sing a stupid song – what a bunch of losers.
And yet they have a higher standard of living than we do. Go figure
Norway has a population of over 4.7 million, this would be less than 1%. Looks and sounds like your the real loser!
Seriously? Check the unemployment rates in norway and compare them to the US...And lets talk who's working and who's not
FANTASTIC – torture him with it daily – it would be similar to Guantanomo Bay prisoners having to listen to Disney's "It's a Small World After All" – until they all collectively hang themselves....hahahahhahahahahaha
wow. i'm 5 mins late i see
Ribidit, just too bad in Guantanamo you have teenagers who may have done absolutely nothing but fell under the boot of the invading American. Breivik is a known mass killer. Those in Guantanamo, who knows? Many have been released, are you Ok with them being tortured just to please your thirst for who-knows-what?
People Power. Amazing unity. You folks are an example to the world.
They should just play "it's a small world" in an infinite loop.
Breivik is hardly a "nationalist". He's a cold blooded killer, intent on dominating others with his own views.
Yeah, but that's pretty much the definition of 'nationalist.'
You have to wonder if the Islamic fundamentalists want to hold hands and sing songs about the profound beauty of multi-culturalist societies.
Actually, you don't... the bombs and plots continuously rooted out and uncovered by good police work tend to confirm that the opposite is true.
I strongly condemn the use of a mass-killing by anyone as a way to send a message, but the method of delivery doesn't invalidate the message.
Militant Islam is a very real thing, and singing songs and marching to annoy a psychopath will in no way deter its uni-cultural, uni-religious agenda.
Just shut up.
Why? So you can go on ignoring the truth?
Did you just get off the short bus? or are you just "special"?
Do you think you can stick to the story and not the causes of what made this maniac do what he did in the first place? Do you honestly think that what he did to a bunch of kids is in any way, shape, or form validated by you posting YOUR rant? Badbadbad is right. Shut up.
So, Matt, you "strongly condemn the use of a mass killing"? Wow, impressive. The fact is, the Christian fundamentalists don't want to hold hands and sing that song, either. Just like the Islamic fundamentalists, they want a one-world religion dictatorship. They say they believe in freedom, but the opposite is true. They will not be satisfied until every religion in the U.S. is outlawed except fundamentalist Christianity. They have made this very clear. I was raised a born again Christian fundamentalist, so I know this very well. Timothy McVeigh was one of them. The Norwegians are right. They should all be proud.
Even if Breivik did want to oppose "militant Islam" he did a terrible job of doing so, and needs to be punished for it.
Frankly Breivik should be forced to "do it" with a militant Muslim, and the video should be posted to show that BOTH neoNazis and militant Islam will not be tolerated
Non-Militant Islam means all of Muhammad's "war-like" sentiments/thoughts later in the Quran are invalidated completely, that Bid'ah is good, that some kaafir know more about the truth of Islam than some Muslims, that good Muslims MUST genuinely like and respect kaafir as their equals, and that Muhammad was "70% right, 30% wrong"
I did not just get off of any "short bus" nor am I special like you, Khloe Kardas(h)ian.
@ Jubilee – as I stated clearly, in no way was Breivik's action validated. Your perception that I in any way advocated such action is a flaw in your own logic. Re-read my post.
@ Carroll – I also was raised in a strongly fundamentalist household and I wholeheartedly disagree with your take that there is a mass Christian conspiracy to turn the world Christian. I will concede that there are plenty of "Christians" out there that would gladly take over and rule the world from a "Christian" throne if given the chance, but the same could be said for any number of people of any other religion. Timothy McVeigh was no more a "Christian" than any other mass murderer.
@ Johnny Biggs – agreed, mostly. It is true that all men should respect each other.
The point I was trying to make, (but obviously ran afoul of the flower-picking sentiments of the commenters on this board) was that although this man is a lunatic because he picked up weapons and mowed down innocents to send a very valid message, marching and singing TO ANNOY HIM is akin to stupidity. .
I sure hope the FBI is looking up 'Matt's' IP address right now. Anyone who sympathizes with a mass murderer and finds his reasons for murder compelling is pretty near the crackup point. How about it, Matt? You gonna shoot us for singing?
@ JC – can you read and understand English? READ MY POST. THEN REREAD IT. Where in the post do you get that I advocate murder? Please tell me that you are NOT an educator and that you do not have children bearing your genes.
Let me be clear: IN NO WAY DO I ADVOCATE, ENDORSE, COMMEND OR PRAISE THE CONDUCT OF ANDERS BREIVIK. But just because the man is a psychopath does not mean there is not some validity to what he is trying to say. I suggest ignoring him altogether and letting the "loving" Norwegian legal system render judgement upon him would be a much more effective way to counter the idiotic, sociopathic actions he took. "Singing to annoy him"... not so much.
Shoot you for singing? Never! Laugh at you for singing, ABSOLUTELY. In fairness, I'm sure your singing voice is just lovely.