722 慘案，挪威政治領袖與媒體回應

九十二條消逝的生命，其中八十五位還是對政治懷有熱情的青少年。一個極右派的槍手炸彈客，讓挪威面臨「自二次大戰以來最殘酷的殺戮」。事發後各家媒體都提到，挪威充斥著一種「不真實」的感覺，大家不敢相信，幾十年來這麼平和開放的挪威，怎麼會發生這種電視上才看的到的事。而且兇手居然還是挪威人！一如BBC專文分析指稱，「這場攻擊，準確地擊中挪威人最珍惜的價值：他們的開放性、言論自由，跟安全感，都被徹底撼動。」

挪威，將如何面對這場災變？特別是它沒有死刑，法律規定最多只能判二十一年。這樣的國家，將如何面對這個犯下九十二條人命，撼動挪威立國價值的嫌犯？很多事，還需要一段時間沉澱、觀察。不過昨天我先注意到的，是挪威主要政治領袖的回應。

昨天事發第一時間，還沒抓到兇手時，挪威首相在公開講話中先呼籲「我們不能放棄我們的價值，我們要證明我們的開放社會能通過這場考驗。面對暴力的答案，是更多民主、更多人性，但絕不是天真。這是我們虧欠受害者跟他們的家人的。」

“We must never give up our values.
We must show that our open society can pass this test too.
That the answer to violence is even more democracy.
Even more humanity. But never naivity.
That is something we owe the victims and their families.”
– Prime Minister Stoltenberg, 22:00, 22, July, 2011

後來外長也出面召開記者會，最後說到。「明天你見到的挪威，又會是你認識的挪威….. 挪威民主的本質不會改變。挪威會站起來繼續參與世界，投入我們的資源與信念。」

“The Norway that you meet tomorrow will be recognizable. We will stand up for the values that made the island Utøya possible. The Labour youth movement has expressed very clearly that “we will take Utøya back". The youth of Norway will take Utøya back and we will help them in doing so. The nature of the Norwegian democracy will not change. Norway will continue to stand for engagement in the world where we commit our resources and our convictions.”
– Foreign Affair Minister, Mr. Jonas Gahr Støre, 14:30 23 July 2011

後來挪威國王出面，很溫暖地說道，「我們需要用很長的時​間來消化、適應這些記憶、悲痛、跟感受…。」但他也結論道「我堅信，自由比恐懼更強大…」

“We will use a long time to digest and adapt to impressions, grief, and feelings. People all over the country have lost someone they love. Many children and young people are frightened today. We must take special care of them,”

“The Norwegian Peoples’ strength, bravery, and solidarity become apparent when our nation is put to the test…. I hold fast in the belief that freedom is stronger than fear, in an open Norwegian democracy and society, in our possibility to live free and securely in our own country.”

– HRH King Harald

回到最初引用的BBC報導，當中也從挪威媒體摘錄了兩句話：

「我們不能縱容恐懼，癱瘓我們清晰而有智慧思考的能力」
“We should not let fear paralyse our ability to think clearly and wisely…”
– Harald Stanghelle, political editor of the daily Aftenbladet

「我們必須避免像911之後的美國一般，被恐懼佔據。我們要看看西班牙跟英格蘭，這兩個國家的人民，如何從恐怖攻擊事件後，尋回他們的自由。」
“we must avoid being preoccupied by fear, like the US was after 11 September 2001. Rather, we must look to Spain and England and how the people of those nations recovered their freedom after the horrible terrorist acts”
– Lars Helle, editor of the daily Dagbladet

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