Before shooting 84 people in Utøya, Anders Breivik used ammoninum nitrate to blow up government buildings. Sound familiar?
Breivik was a member of the right-wing Fremskrittpartiet (“Progress Party”), a group taking a hard-line stance against the lenient immigration policies traditionally held by Scandanavian governments. This is one of their promotional posters:
The caption translates as, “the perpetrator was of foreign origins!” Breivik himself appears to have been less than fond of Muslim immigrants.
So, what happens now? Likely the same thing that happened here in 1995. The Norwegians will see increasing calls for stricter gun control laws and regulation on vehement discource. Those holding conservative or libertarian views will be painted with Breivik’s broad brush.
Extremism isn’t exclusive to nation or a culture. This isn’t just an American phenomenon. We all need to be aware of the darkness that lies at the outer margins of any political ideology.