Remembrance and Hope in Oslo

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Category: Treasure Addis-Mills

Published on Sunday, 24 July 2011 17:56

Written by Treasure Addis-Mills

Today, a mass for grief and hope was held at the Oslo Cathedral in downtown Oslo, near the site of the car bomb that rocked the city and killed 7 people on Friday July 22. It was held for the 7 killed in the bomb and the 85 killed in the shooting on Utoya Island; however, it was not called a memorial, for there are still 4 people unaccounted for from Utoya Island. It lasted for an hour and a half, consisting of many hymns, speeches from the Prime Minister and the King, and lots of tears from the crowd. Citizens who were not able to get a seat inside stood on the streets outside.

The city streets were filled with people coming together to pay tribute to those killed and to see for themselves the destruction caused by the bomb. Small memorials were located all over the city, with many hand-written notes and cards, teddy bears, flowers, and candles.

Tears were in many people’s eyes and flowers in their hands as they walked by the cordoned-off blocks and laid flowers at the memorial sites. The largest memorial I came across was outside the Cathedral and it grew bigger as I stood there to pay my respects. Entire families came to lay roses on the pile and leave personal notes. People kept re-lighting candles that had gone out or were doused by the light rain that fell sporadically. The Cathedral was full of people passing through to pay their respects and light candles in remembrance.

This is a community that is in shock and is still finding the incidents to be unbelievable….as if they could wake tomorrow to find it was all a dream. Tears of sadness were cried in the Cathedral during the services this morning, while the night before tears of relief were cried as the youth who made it off Utoya Island returned home all across Norway. Families and friends awaited the lanes and buses carrying their loved ones and threw their arms around them as they arrived.

It has still not been reported the reason for the attacks by 32 year-old Anders Breivik, who is still being interrogated. His lawyer has stated that Breivik wants to have his story heard in court. Breivik has also stated that his actions were “atrocious but necessary.” That statement just sickens me. Nothing makes it “necessary” to explode a bomb to kill people and damage government buildings. Nothing makes it “necessary” to target a group of young political camp goers. Nothing makes it “necessary” to fire one round every 10 seconds for over an hour to murder 85 people. What is necessary is to make sure Breivik gets locked up for a very long time. What is necessary is to make sure that this type of behavior is never “necessary” to prove any kind of point.

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