Norwegian authorities warn: Breivik still inspires right-wing radicals

Wednesday, July 22 marks 15 years since the attacks of July 22, 2011, in which 77 people were killed and 262 were injured. On the anniversary of the tragedy, PST warns that the perpetrator of the attacks is increasingly gaining symbolic status in extremist circles. This phenomenon also affects Norway. Caroline Iwarsson from the PST anti-terrorism unit emphasized in an interview with TV2 that he mainly inspires young internet users.

PST observes a clear increase in the number of radicalized boys between the ages of 12 and 17. According to Iwarsson, Breivik maintains a 'saint-like' status in far-right circles, which has only strengthened in recent years. Materials circulate online. His name and image appear in memes and propaganda published on social media.

Young audiences have a more detached attitude towards the violence of July 22. Iwarsson explains that in extremist groups, perpetrators of attacks are sometimes ranked by the number of victims and the scale of the damage caused. Breivik holds a high place there. In most cases analyzed by PST, there is direct support for him as a right-wing terrorist.

The leader of the Norwegian Labour Party Youth (AUF), Gaute Skjervø, survived the attack on Utøya as a 16-year-old. He found the results of a survey, in which 25 percent of Norwegians agreed with the statement that the Norwegian Labour Party (Ap) politically exploited the attacks, deeply disturbing. The survey was described by the newspaper 'Aftenposten.' Skjervø stated that such claims undermine the memory of those murdered on July 22.

According to him, AUF and Ap approach the tragedy with caution in party disputes. Skjervø noted that the organization lost an entire generation of young activists, and many people still face hatred, threats, and pressure. He himself devotes one to two days a week to talking about the attacks. He would prefer to spend that time dealing with issues such as school policy and taxes.

Skjervø points out that radicalization can happen on children's phones without their parents' knowledge. In his opinion, monitoring the content that young people are exposed to is the responsibility of adults. The AUF leader compared the duty to remember the victims of Utøya to the remembrance of those murdered during World War II and the Holocaust.