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UTØYA

AUF gets radical in second Utøya camp since massacre

The youth wing of Norway’s Labour party on Thursday opened its second summer camp on Utøya island since 2011’s horrific massacre with a tough call for more radical policies ahead of next year’s election.

AUF gets radical in second Utøya camp since massacre
AUF leader Mani Hussaini salutes the crowd on Utøya. Photo: Krister Sørbø / NTB scanpix
The youth wing of Norway’s Labour party on Thursday opened its second summer camp on Utøya island since 2011’s horrific massacre with a tough call for more radical policies ahead of next year’s election. 
 
In his opening speech AUF leader Mani Hussaini called for Norway’s Labour Party to raise taxes, and reinstitute inheritance tax, in return for his organisation’s support in next year’s election.  
 
“It is only with the efforts of AUF-ers across the country that Jonas can become Prime Minister in a year,” Hussaini said ahead of Støre’s visit to the island on Friday. “The efforts we will make not give away for free. We have clear requirements for what we expect from the Labour Party, and we expect to be heard.” 
 
Last year’s camp was largely about AUF returning to Utøya, which hosted its annual summer camp from the 1950s until far-Right extremist Anders Behring Breivik launched his massacre on July 22, 2011. 
 
But this year, Hussaini seemed concerned to reinstitute the AUF as a radical voice in Norway’s Labour movement, with the camp having the theme, “We build the country for the future.”
 
In his speech, Hussaini listed gay marriage, the right to a high school education, and giving one percent of GDP to the world's poor, as Labour policies which started as AUF proposals. 
 
“These have become Norwegian policy because the AUF has had clear demands. Now we need to make new demands,” he said. 
 
About 1,000 participants came to this year’s summer camp, up from the approximately 600 who attended in the year Breivik attacked. 
 
“Utøya is AUF’s heart. This is our home,” Hussaini said to cheers in his opening speech. “Little did I know how much this place would mean for me. Utøya is almost like a best friend.” 
 
This year’s camp will be attended by Stefan Löfven, Prime Minister of Sweden, with music from Norwegian rappers Erik and Kris. 
 
After Breivik opened fire at the camp, he hunted down participants around the 0.12 square kilometre island for an hour and fifteen minutes, shooting many at near point blank range in the head.
 
His stated aim was to wipe out the future leaders of Norway's Labour movement, who he blamed for Islamic immigration into Norway. 
 
Breivik was in 2012 sentenced to a 21-year prison sentence, which can be extended indefinitely as long as he is considered a danger to society.

 
 

TRAVEL

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday 

Find out what's going on in Norway on Tuesday with The Local's short roundup of important news.

Today in Norway: A roundup of the latest news on Tuesday 
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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