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Norwegian police give go-ahead for autumn Pride parade

Police in Oslo say it will be possible for the Norwegian capital to arrange a Pride parade this autumn, media in the Nordic country reported on Friday.

Published: 12 August 2022 16:45 CEST

Norwegian police give go-ahead for autumn Pride parade

Pride flags in Oslo on 2018. Photo by Cecilie Johnsen on Unsplash

Oslo’s Police District chief of staff Harald Nilssen told newspaper Aftenposten that police believed it would be possible to go ahead with the festival later in 2022.

“Oslo Police District has a lot of experience with preparing different events. Most of the work is done in advance with dialogue and preventative work,” Nilssen said via email.

“In addition to this we allocate resources in accordance with what is needed,” the senior police officer also said in the mail to Aftenposten.

Earlier this week, the director of the Oslo Pride, Kristin Haugsevje, event said it was unclear whether a parade could take place this autumn due to the current threat level against the event.

Oslo Pride was cancelled on June 25th after a mass shooting in the centre of the city the night before in which two people were killed and 21 injured.

A subsequent LGBT solidarity event in Oslo was also cancelled over police fears of copycat attacks.

READ ALSO: Oslo shooting suspect remanded in custody for four weeks

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Potential bankruptcy threatens bus services in Oslo

Unibuss, which is wholly owned by Oslo Municipality, is in danger of going bust due to large losses, unpaid bills, and fines from public transport firm Ruter for issues with its electric bus fleet this winter.

Oslo City Council will hold an emergency meeting headed up by transport councilor Marit Vea on Wednesday, where she will be grilled on how the council will avert a collapse in the city’s public transport network should Unibuss go bankrupt.

Unibuss is comprised of four smaller companies that operate bus routes in Oslo on behalf of Ruter. The company has just over 370 buses in operation and covers around 60 to 70 percent of the routes in Oslo and the neighboring municipality of Bærum.

Oslo’s fleet of electric busses struggled especially with snow and cold temperatures this winter, which caused frequent chaos across the capital’s public transport network.

Snow, ice, range and charging issues for the busses lead to vehicle shortages which caused mass delays and cancellations several times over the winter.

Ruter, which is also part owned by Oslo municipality, believes that the financial problems facing Unibuss mean the company could be forced to file for bankruptcy or undergo a major restructuring, according to a memo obtained by publication Teknisk Ukeblad.

It has previously told public broadcaster that it was working on a plan in case Unibuss goes bankrupt.

“There is no doubt that the first days of such a scenario will be very demanding for the residents of Oslo and parts of Akershus,” Ruter’s communications director Elisabeth Skarsbø Moen told public broadcaster NRK.

“First and foremost, we are working to find a solution together with Unibuss that does not affect Ruter’s customers,” she said.

“But as those responsible for public transport, we have both a plan and an emergency organization ready to also handle a bankruptcy,” Skarsbø Moen added.

Should Unibuss go bankrupt, its buses would become part of the bankruptcy estate and if such an event were to occur while passengers were in transit, all passengers would need to disembark at the next stop so the buses can be transported to the depot.

Ruter said it had an eye on the market to try and see what could be available in terms of extra buses and equipment.

It said that its priority would be to ensure that school transport, and that healthcare workers could get to work, in the event of a sudden lack of buses.

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