We do not hope that we will have to get used to living with terrorism, but we can not stop living in the face of the fear of terrorist attacks.
SHOULD BE GOED: The Pride parade should not have been canceled. Photo: Audun Braastad / NTB sea view
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Manager: This is an editorial from Dagbladet, and expresses the newspaper’s views. Dagbladet’s political editor is responsible for the editorial.
Published
Sunday, June 26, 2022 – 7:27 p.m.
last updated
Sunday, June 26, 2022 – 9:53 p.m.
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Afterthought is the most exact science. It is also the simplest. Therefore, it is easy for us to now ask questions about whether the planned Pride parade in Oslo really should have been canceled, even if we do not take lightly the difficult situation the organizer and the police were in.
After two people were shot and killed and over 20 people were injured at a nightclub in Oslo, the police recommended that all Pride events should be canceled. We do not envy those who have to make this difficult decision. Both the police and the organizer had the participants’ best interests in mind first.
In retrospect, we must be able to discuss whether the parade should have gone as planned. Whether the police really did what they could to make it as safe as possible, or whether they were too quick to give up.
When the police recommended cancellation, the organizers in reality had no choice.
TERROR: This was the course of events during the mass shooting at the London Pub in central Oslo on the night of Saturday 25 June 2022. Reporter: Christina H. Korneliussen / Dagbladet TV sea view
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The same morning as the cancellation took place, the Police Security Service (PST) said that they had no indications that more acts of violence were planned.
It thus appears that the cancellation took place “for safety’s sake” and with a “precautionary” consideration. It does not hold in a liberal democracy.
Regardless of the motives of the murder and terror suspect was, the result was that the parade did not go its course. The fear of terrorist attacks became too great for the train to carry out.
Nevertheless, thousands of people went on a spontaneous train from Greenland to the London pub, where the two people lost their lives. It was a strong mark to witness.
Oslo was filled with people who wanted to show support even though the police advised against going by train. Instead of tightening security measures, it happened spontaneously.
Such attacks trigger discussions about preparedness against terrorism. About the police response time, whether PST should have had the man under closer supervision, and how we prevent radicalization and violent extremism. Such discussions are important.
Still, there is one aspect we should talk more about, namely, how we prevent ourselves from being intimidated into silence. Better preparedness against terrorism must also mean that life can return to normal as quickly as possible after terrorist attacks, even with an increased level of threat. If not, terror will win.
HEROIC EFFORT: The video shows the perpetrator running, only to be caught later. Video: Andreas Blix / Tipser. sea view
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Did the police do everything they could to make the parade go even with an increased threat level? Could they have summoned the civil defense and resources from other police districts to secure all the people who went on the train? If a similar attack had taken place before 17 May, it is not certain that the police would have canceled the children’s train on Karl Johan.
We do not hope to get used to living with terrorism, but we can not stop living in the face of terrorist attacks.
