On Saturday, June 25th, a gunman opened fire in Oslo, Norway, killing two people and leaving 21 injured. The pride parade, scheduled for that day, was later canceled.
Speaking of the cancellation, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said calling it off did not deter the fight “against discrimination, prejudices and hate.” He went on to detail that thousands of people gathered on the city’s streets and waved rainbow flags in support of pride. Some laid flowers at the scene of the shooting to commemorate victims.
“During the day, the city was full of people who wanted to speak out, about sorrow and anger, but also about support and solidarity and the will to continue on fighting, for the right of every individual to live a free life, a safe life,” Stoere said. “These misdeeds remind us of this. This fight is not over. It is not safe from dangers. But we are going to win it, together.”
The shooting happened in the early hours of Saturday in and around the city’s London Pub, a popular LGBTQ+ venue. Witnesses said the suspect took a gun out of his bag and started shooting. The suspect was arrested by police officers minutes later, and police later retrieved two weapons at the crime scene, including one that was a fully automatic firearm.
One witness described to Norway’s NRK that the situation was chaotic, with him having to step on the shooter’s weapon at one point, saying, “My thought then was to run and stand on it, so that no one would come.”
The suspect was later identified as 42-year-old Zaniar Matapour, who was known to the security services. His lawyer, John Christian Elden, told broadcaster TV2 it was not possible to come to any conclusions about the motives or reasons for the attack.
Police also stated, “There is reason to think that this may be a hate crime. We are investigating whether… pride was a target in itself or whether there are other motives.”
Link to article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61941172
Speaking of the cancellation, Norway’s Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Stoere said calling it off did not deter the fight “against discrimination, prejudices and hate.” He went on to detail that thousands of people gathered on the city’s streets and waved rainbow flags in support of pride. Some laid flowers at the scene of the shooting to commemorate victims.
“During the day, the city was full of people who wanted to speak out, about sorrow and anger, but also about support and solidarity and the will to continue on fighting, for the right of every individual to live a free life, a safe life,” Stoere said. “These misdeeds remind us of this. This fight is not over. It is not safe from dangers. But we are going to win it, together.”
The shooting happened in the early hours of Saturday in and around the city’s London Pub, a popular LGBTQ+ venue. Witnesses said the suspect took a gun out of his bag and started shooting. The suspect was arrested by police officers minutes later, and police later retrieved two weapons at the crime scene, including one that was a fully automatic firearm.
One witness described to Norway’s NRK that the situation was chaotic, with him having to step on the shooter’s weapon at one point, saying, “My thought then was to run and stand on it, so that no one would come.”
The suspect was later identified as 42-year-old Zaniar Matapour, who was known to the security services. His lawyer, John Christian Elden, told broadcaster TV2 it was not possible to come to any conclusions about the motives or reasons for the attack.
Police also stated, “There is reason to think that this may be a hate crime. We are investigating whether… pride was a target in itself or whether there are other motives.”
Link to article: https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-61941172
