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Record number to attend Utøya summer camp

A record number of young people have signed up to attend the first Labour party youth camp to be held of the island of Utøya since sixty-nine people were killed in a devastating terrorist attack in 2011.

Published: 11 June 2015 23:59 CEST

Record number to attend Utøya summer camp

Utøya survivors, Labour youth members, and relatives of victims on Utøya on June 6 ahead of the camp. Photo: Utøya project group

“It’s great to see that so many people want to be a part of taking Utøya back,” Andreas Brandt, the leader of the Norwegian Labour party's youth league (AUF) in Buskerud told Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

“It seems that this will be a dignified summer camp that will show in a big way that the AUF is back. ”

Brandt said he expected more than a thousand young people to take part in the event, which has a huge symbolic meaning for the organisation. On the day the massacre, 564 people were on the island.

“It’s a historic event and the first step in taking the island back,” said Jørgen Watne Frydnes, who is managing the work on the island. “It is important to show that we are continuing the activities that were attacked. That's been our goal from day one, it’s about showing that terror cannot stop us.”

Most of the buildings on the island have been demolished and new ones built to take their place. A memorial site has also been constructed.

“It’s a place to come, alone or with others. The memorial is made up of tree trunks in a circle, and a ring of steel with the names and ages of those who died on 22 July.” Mani Hussaini, the AUF's new chairman told Norwegian broadcaster TV2 last week.

The return to the island has been fraught with controversy, with some arguing that it is too soon to return to the island.

“Four years is too little time for many,” 21-year-old Viljar Hanssen, who survived being shot in the head by Anders Breivik, told broadcaster NRK las week. “The rhetoric about taking Utøya back has become too literal. I didn’t think I would react so strongly, but I have.”

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Oslo Operahus .Photo by Arvid Malde on Unsplash

Only one in ten Norwegians plan to travel abroad this summer

Around ten percent of people in Norway are planning to take a holiday abroad this summer, according to a survey carried out by tourism organisation NHO Reiseliv.

Seven out of ten respondents said they still plan to holiday in Norway this year, even if they receive a vaccination before the holidays start.

READ MORE: ‘My arguments didn’t matter’: How I ended up in a hotel quarantine in Norway

Viken and Vestland are this year’s most popular travel destinations for Norwegians planning a “staycation”. Young people were the most likely to want to remain in Norway this summer. Just under half of those aged between 18 and 29 said they wished to stay in Norway this summer.

Third of Utøya survivors have received abuse or threats

A third of Utøya survivors have been victims of hate speech or received threats, according to a new survey.

Three-quarters of respondents said that the reason they received the abuse was linked directly to the Utøya terror attack, the Norwegian Centre for Violence and Traumatic Studies (NKVTS) found.

The massacre on Utøya was the second of two terror attacks carried out by Anders Breivik on July 22nd, 2011. Of the 69 people who died in the attack, 32 were under the age of 18.

Fewer in Oslo willing to ditch cars

A climate survey carried out by the city of Oslo has shown that fewer people than before are willing to cut back on using their cars. The proportion of those who think that Oslo city centre should be car-free has fallen to 45 percent from 52 percent last year.

READ ALSO: Could Norway introduce mandatory inbuilt car breathalysers

When asked whether Oslo City Council had gone too far in removing cars from the city centre, almost half said that they believed that this was the case.

“A change in the attitude around these measures may be due to more people feeling dependent on cars during the pandemic. There has been a lot of debate about measures that have been introduced or are planned to be introduced,” Heidi Sørensen, Director of the Climate Agency, told the Dagsavisen newspaper

Tighter Coronavirus measures in Trondheim

Gyms, museums and swimming pools have been closed, and alcohol service in hospitality has been stopped in Trondheim. The new measures come barely a week after restrictions were last tightened.

“We need to shut down most of Trondheim to get control. It is only days since we last tightened measures, but we are in a situation where we must take even stronger action,” Morten Wolden, the municipal director for Trondheim, told state broadcaster NRK.

Norway reports 292 new Covid-19 cases

On Monday, 292 new coronavirus infections were registered in Norway. This is a drop of 52 compared to the seven-day average of 344.

In Oslo, 48 cases were recorded, an increase of two on the capital’s seven day average of 46.

The R-number or reproduction rate in Norway is currently 1.0. This means that every ten people that are infected, will, on average, only infect another ten people, indicating that the infection level is stable.

Total number of Covid-19 cases so far. Source: NIPH

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