On Saturday, June 25th, a mass shooting occurred at a gay bar in Oslo. The shooting has been referred to as “an act of Islamic terrorism” by policemen.
The early-morning crime took place in Oslo’s London Pub, known as “the most-visited gay place in Norway,” according to its website. This happened just before the town set out to host its first pride parade since 2019. The parade was canceled , but hordes of people marched down the street anyway as they waved colored flags, laid bouquets of flowers, and expressed their condolences for the shooting victims.
In the case of mass shootings, Norway has state-of-the-art safety precautions. Gun owners must take safety tests and be licensed. Moreover, gun violence has not been regarded as a major issue. This made shootings in Norway rare, but still real. Norway was also a country where members of the LGBTQ+ community were widely accepted, so the event came as a shock to many families. In fact, it was the second country in the world, after Denmark, to allow same-sex relationships. Gay partnerships became legal in 1993, and gay marriages became legal in 2009.
The suspect is a Norwegian citizen of age 42. He was arrested for murder, attempted murder, and terrorist acts, but his motives are still unknown to the police. Eyewitnesses claim that the suspect took a gun from his bag and immediately started firing. 2 people were left dead and 21 were injured, 10 of whom were harmed severely. The inside and outside of the bar were packed with people, which led to a chaotic scramble as the first shots rang out.
After the shooting happened, a memorial service was held in Oslo Cathedral. Candles were lit and the surroundings were decorated with rainbow flags and flowers in honor of the deceased. “Bullets cannot kill love,” said the head of the Norwegian Protestant Church, Olav Fykse Tveit.”We see that we can learn, sometimes in spite of ourselves, that diversity is a present, a richness, and that many homosexuals have a capacity for love that we are incapable of.”
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/25/world/europe/norway-shooting-oslo.html?searchResultPosition=1
The early-morning crime took place in Oslo’s London Pub, known as “the most-visited gay place in Norway,” according to its website. This happened just before the town set out to host its first pride parade since 2019. The parade was canceled , but hordes of people marched down the street anyway as they waved colored flags, laid bouquets of flowers, and expressed their condolences for the shooting victims.
In the case of mass shootings, Norway has state-of-the-art safety precautions. Gun owners must take safety tests and be licensed. Moreover, gun violence has not been regarded as a major issue. This made shootings in Norway rare, but still real. Norway was also a country where members of the LGBTQ+ community were widely accepted, so the event came as a shock to many families. In fact, it was the second country in the world, after Denmark, to allow same-sex relationships. Gay partnerships became legal in 1993, and gay marriages became legal in 2009.
The suspect is a Norwegian citizen of age 42. He was arrested for murder, attempted murder, and terrorist acts, but his motives are still unknown to the police. Eyewitnesses claim that the suspect took a gun from his bag and immediately started firing. 2 people were left dead and 21 were injured, 10 of whom were harmed severely. The inside and outside of the bar were packed with people, which led to a chaotic scramble as the first shots rang out.
After the shooting happened, a memorial service was held in Oslo Cathedral. Candles were lit and the surroundings were decorated with rainbow flags and flowers in honor of the deceased. “Bullets cannot kill love,” said the head of the Norwegian Protestant Church, Olav Fykse Tveit.”We see that we can learn, sometimes in spite of ourselves, that diversity is a present, a richness, and that many homosexuals have a capacity for love that we are incapable of.”
Link: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/06/25/world/europe/norway-shooting-oslo.html?searchResultPosition=1
