Earlier today around 40,000 people gathered in an Oslo square to sing Children of the Rainbow , a popular peace song which mass killer Anders Breivik has condemned during his trial.
Breivik had accused Lillebjoern Nilsen, the singer of Children of the Rainbow, of being a Marxist intent on brainwashing children with his music.
Showing posts with label anders Breivik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label anders Breivik. Show all posts
Thursday, 26 April 2012
Monday, 16 April 2012
Breivik's Nazi salute
As he entered the court room to face charges of murdering 77 people in Oslo last summer, Anders Breivik gave a Nazi salute before saying he did not accept the court had jurisdiction over him.
Click here for background facts about the trial.
Click here for background facts about the trial.
Saturday, 14 April 2012
Oslo's Trial of the Century - some facts about the trial of Anders Breivik
Anders Breivik's trial for killing 77 people and injuring a further 151 on July 22nd last year is due to start in he next few days in Oslo, Norway.
*Both the Justice Minister and the Chief of Security Services were forced to resign following heavy criticism of the way they had handled the terror attacks.
*The police, security services and the Prime Minister apologised about the mis-handling of the case in March.
*Police errors on the day is are under investigation and will form a substantial part of the independent public inquiry due to be published in August.
*Oslo District Court has built a new, custom-made courtroom specially for Breivik's trial.
*The new courtroom is No. 250.
*Additionally, they have refurbished 2 floors to for the media and other affected parties to follow the trial.
*The trial is estimated to cost around £10m (12.1m euros, $15.9m), according to Geir Engebretsen, President of the Court.
*Between 1,000-1,400 people will be in the court building for each day of the trial.
*There are only 190 seats in the main courtroom and these will be reserved for the victims and members of the press.
*2,500 people will follow the trial via video link in 18 local courts around Norway.
*Breivik will be protected in court by a bulletproof screen as he has received a number of death threats whilst in prison awaiting trial.
*There will be a panel of five judges instead of a jury.
*The five judges will include two professional judges and three lay judges (general members of the public).
*The trial is expected to end on 22 June.
*The verdict will not be heard for several weeks after that, and could be appealed.
*The trial will start with the indictment read by the prosecution.
*Breivik is expected to take several days to testify beginning on Tuesday 17 April when he will take the stand.
*The prosecution will call more than 90 witnesses.
*The defence will call around 40 witnesses including a prolific far-right Norwegian blogger, Fjordman.
*Also expected to be called are members of the Labour Party and Progress Party, terrorism experts and psychiatrists. Several public figures have said they will refuse to appear.
*Breivik's dwarning has warned that his client is likely to say things many will find offensive and shocking.
*Breivik has said: "I am not sorry and I would do the same thing all over again."
*Two psychiatric reports ordered by the court came up with opposite conclusions. The first report (November 2011) concluded that Breivik was a paranoid schizophrenic and was psychotic at the time of the crime. The second report (April 2012) concluded that Breivik was sane and showed no signs of psychosis.
*Breivik considers himself a political activist and a soldier trying to save Norway and Europe from being taken over by Islam.
*Both the Justice Minister and the Chief of Security Services were forced to resign following heavy criticism of the way they had handled the terror attacks.
*The police, security services and the Prime Minister apologised about the mis-handling of the case in March.
*Police errors on the day is are under investigation and will form a substantial part of the independent public inquiry due to be published in August.
*Oslo District Court has built a new, custom-made courtroom specially for Breivik's trial.
*The new courtroom is No. 250.
*Additionally, they have refurbished 2 floors to for the media and other affected parties to follow the trial.
*The trial is estimated to cost around £10m (12.1m euros, $15.9m), according to Geir Engebretsen, President of the Court.
*Between 1,000-1,400 people will be in the court building for each day of the trial.
*There are only 190 seats in the main courtroom and these will be reserved for the victims and members of the press.
*2,500 people will follow the trial via video link in 18 local courts around Norway.
*Breivik will be protected in court by a bulletproof screen as he has received a number of death threats whilst in prison awaiting trial.
*There will be a panel of five judges instead of a jury.
*The five judges will include two professional judges and three lay judges (general members of the public).
*The trial is expected to end on 22 June.
*The verdict will not be heard for several weeks after that, and could be appealed.
*The trial will start with the indictment read by the prosecution.
*Breivik is expected to take several days to testify beginning on Tuesday 17 April when he will take the stand.
*The prosecution will call more than 90 witnesses.
*The defence will call around 40 witnesses including a prolific far-right Norwegian blogger, Fjordman.
*Also expected to be called are members of the Labour Party and Progress Party, terrorism experts and psychiatrists. Several public figures have said they will refuse to appear.
*Breivik's dwarning has warned that his client is likely to say things many will find offensive and shocking.
*Breivik has said: "I am not sorry and I would do the same thing all over again."
*Two psychiatric reports ordered by the court came up with opposite conclusions. The first report (November 2011) concluded that Breivik was a paranoid schizophrenic and was psychotic at the time of the crime. The second report (April 2012) concluded that Breivik was sane and showed no signs of psychosis.
*Breivik considers himself a political activist and a soldier trying to save Norway and Europe from being taken over by Islam.
Wednesday, 11 April 2012
Is evil always insane?
When, in July 2011, Anders Breivik killed 77 people and injured a further 151, many wondered whether he would ever face trial because they assumed that he would be declared insane and locked up in a secure mental hospital for the rest of his life.
This week, however, he has been declared sane - a surprise ruling which overturned an earlier medical assessment of him. This means, of course, that he is now able to stand trial for his crimes and, in all likelihood, as he doesn't deny that he did the crimes, he will then be found guilty and then be sent to jail for the rest of his life.
Evil is a word that gets overused, particularly in the media, but, surely, it fits Breivik's actions perfectly. If he isn't evil them I'd suggest nobody is.
What I find interesting, though, is a wide spread assumption that someone who is evil has to be insane.
Is it not possible to do evil things but be perfectly sane?
When you think of all the world's dictators and the number of atrocities they carried out in the name of their particular ideology, were they all insane, or is it just that their beliefs are just so out of kilter with those of the rest of society that they get labelled as mad simply out of laziness?
And if the dictator was insane, what about all those who followed their orders and carried out their wishes?
I suspect that many who carry out mass killings are insane but I don't think they have to be. If, for instance, a particular political or religious ideology is so heartfelt that a person they have to do something appalling they aren't necessarily insane if they carry those things through. They might, simply, have a deep, strong conviction that makes them different from the rest of society, but that doesn't mean they should be sent to a mental hospital for the rest of their life.
In many ways, I'm glad that Breivik will stand trial for his crimes, though I do fear that he will try to use his day in court to promote his extreme far right ideology. The judge needs to be very wary of any attempts to use the court room
as a way to attract publicity for what most people consider to be a truly evil ideology.
I suspect there are as many, if not more, people who I would class as evil in our society as are actually insane, and while we protect ourselves from the insane by locking them up in secure hospitals, the question has to be asked whether we should be locking up all those we consider to be evil in order to prevent further atrocities like the ones in Oslo last July, or in any other form that the criminal decides upon.
There are many, myself included, who would argue that a lot of the Pope's teachings ate evil. Should he be locked up to protect the rest of society?
This week, however, he has been declared sane - a surprise ruling which overturned an earlier medical assessment of him. This means, of course, that he is now able to stand trial for his crimes and, in all likelihood, as he doesn't deny that he did the crimes, he will then be found guilty and then be sent to jail for the rest of his life.
Evil is a word that gets overused, particularly in the media, but, surely, it fits Breivik's actions perfectly. If he isn't evil them I'd suggest nobody is.
What I find interesting, though, is a wide spread assumption that someone who is evil has to be insane.
Is it not possible to do evil things but be perfectly sane?
When you think of all the world's dictators and the number of atrocities they carried out in the name of their particular ideology, were they all insane, or is it just that their beliefs are just so out of kilter with those of the rest of society that they get labelled as mad simply out of laziness?
And if the dictator was insane, what about all those who followed their orders and carried out their wishes?
I suspect that many who carry out mass killings are insane but I don't think they have to be. If, for instance, a particular political or religious ideology is so heartfelt that a person they have to do something appalling they aren't necessarily insane if they carry those things through. They might, simply, have a deep, strong conviction that makes them different from the rest of society, but that doesn't mean they should be sent to a mental hospital for the rest of their life.
In many ways, I'm glad that Breivik will stand trial for his crimes, though I do fear that he will try to use his day in court to promote his extreme far right ideology. The judge needs to be very wary of any attempts to use the court room
as a way to attract publicity for what most people consider to be a truly evil ideology.
I suspect there are as many, if not more, people who I would class as evil in our society as are actually insane, and while we protect ourselves from the insane by locking them up in secure hospitals, the question has to be asked whether we should be locking up all those we consider to be evil in order to prevent further atrocities like the ones in Oslo last July, or in any other form that the criminal decides upon.
There are many, myself included, who would argue that a lot of the Pope's teachings ate evil. Should he be locked up to protect the rest of society?
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