The Case of the July 22, 2011 Attacks in Norway

July 22, 2011. A cruel nightmare for everyone. Two terrorist attacks that hit Norway hard. First, a bomb attack on the government quarter, then the massacre on Utøya. Think that something like this could happen in Norway? You and I could have been on Utøya when the terrorist attack took place, but we were not. Despite this, I imagine pictures of the island every time I think of it. Utøya, a small island covered by green trees where people usually come and enjoy themselves. A small island where people come to spend time with each other. In these pictures that I get in my head, it is completely different.

Sounds of gunfire and screams are the only thing I hear on the island. There is blood and dead people on the ground. Innocent people. People try to escape from the island, find hiding places, and simply, stay away from Anders Behring Breivik. At the same time, cell phones make a lot of noise. Desperate parents try to get an answer from their child to see if they are alive, but they do not get it. Desperate friends try to get an answer from their friends to see if they are still alive, but they do not get it. There is no one who can answer them. Absolutely none. I who just stand there, look at everything around me, can feel how these people feel: full of stress and panic that uses all the energy to stay alive.

He who did all this, he who detonated a bomb in the government quarter, filled Utøya with fear and blood and extinguished the light in the eyes of 77 people, said that he disliked Norway with several cultures and religions. In my eyes, this is completely pointless. The point of freedom of speech is the right to express one's own opinions, but Breivik went far beyond the border. He used violence and terror. Thought it would solve the problem, but it only made it worse for himself and the people in the community. For a psychopath, I think. What's the point of using violence then? Isn't it better to solve their problem in a sensible way? Meaningful questions.

Now after July 22, 2011, we have become familiar with the so-called distance that lies in the middle of us. We know that it is dangerous, and can make people become something completely different than humans when it grows big enough. But what can we do to prevent the distance from increasing? There are many different answers to this question, but from my point of view, we should offer good health care to children and young people today, so that they later in life, prevent being dragged into the distance. In this way, we can ensure a better everyday life for everyone, and make the distance much smaller.

July 22 is not just an ordinary day. It's a special day for everyone. It's a date we'll never forget. A date when terrorist acts were carried out. A date full of grief. I know it is not possible to go back in time and warn these people about the terrorist attack, but what we can do together now is hold our hands, and assume that July 22 will never happen again. Never again.