(New York, N.Y.) — July 22 marks the 11th anniversary of Anders Behring Breivik’s attacks in Norway, which left 77 dead. His 2011 bombing outside of Oslo’s parliament, directly followed by his mass shooting of Labor Party youth, came after Breivik disseminated a 1,500-page manifesto consisting of advice to fellow far-right extremists regarding physical training, weapons, and bomb-making.
Breivik’s actions and manifesto influenced a number of attacks and inspired extremists in the years following, including the 2016 shooting in Munich, Germany; the 2019 Christchurch attacks; and the ideology of Christopher Hasson, who was sentenced to prison in 2020 on illegal weapons and drug charges related to white supremacism and right-wing extremism.
“Even 11 years later, Breivik’s attack and his manifesto continue to inspire white supremacist terrorism in Europe and beyond,” stated Counter Extremism Project (CEP) Advisory Board Member Ambassador Nathan Sales, former U.S. Ambassador-at-Large and Coordinator for Counterterrorism. “As we mark this grim milestone and approach the 21st anniversary of 9/11, the United States and its allies around the world must remain vigilant against terrorist threats no matter what their ideological motivation.”
Earlier this year, Breivik was brought to a parole hearing at Norway’s Skien prison before the three-judge Telemark District Court. Breivik entered the court carrying signs with racist slogans, including “Stop your genocide against our white nations.” Breivik also made a Nazi salute upon entering the courtroom. He then demanded the court treat him as a prisoner of war. After a two-week hearing, the court denied Breivik parole on February 1. According to the court’s ruling, Breivik “appeared devoid of empathy and compassion for the victims of the terror.” The court found Breivik continued to pose the same risk to society as he did in 2011.
“The horrific thoughts and ideas behind Breivik’s terrorist acts and manifesto—broadly reflective of the Great Replacement Theory—continue to echo in the right-wing extremist attacks happening around the world,” said Counter Extremism Project Senior Director Dr. Hans-Jakob Schindler. “Innocent people will continue to lose their lives to senseless acts of violence like Breivik’s unless greater action is taken by the global tech industry to rein in the dissemination of extremist propaganda like his manifesto and other reprehensible extremist narratives that regularly inspire violence.”
To read CEP’s Norway resource, please click here.
To read CEP’s Anders Behring Breivik resource, please click here.