Event commemorating the 15th anniversary of the attacks on 22 July

Good morning and welcome everyone, 

Survivors, family members and friends,

Once again, we gather on 22 July, a day that for many is the most difficult day of the year.

This has been a summer full of contrasts in our country. We came together, as a nation, in support of some of our finest athletes, our men's national football team – and were united in a sense of solidarity, pride and joy. Together, we demonstrated one of the great strengths of Norwegian society – across generations and across the country. The national team was truly the entire nation’s team.

In these past few days – and I saw it myself yesterday – the devastating fire in Krokstadelva, Drammen, has shown that Norway is a country where we step up and help one another. Yesterday, I met people who have lost everything. We are seeing how the sense of community and trust in one another are mobilised in times of need.

Let us acknowledge these strengths.

Today – 22 July, 15 years after that terrible day – it feels right to come together, to talk about those we lost, and be there for one another. – With full respect for those who choose to mark this day in their own way.

Those of you who survived – those who are still struggling – those who lost loved ones – those whose lives were changed forever: We are here with you today – we are standing by your side.

The truth about 22 July

Fifteen years is an important milestone, so let me once again stress what we so unequivocally stated during the 10th anniversary in 2021:

We must continue to tell the truth about 22 July – as Gaute Skjervø from the Workers' Youth League (AUF) also pointed out:

The terrorist attack on 22 July 2011 began with the bombing here at the Government Office Complex, where eight people were killed, ten were seriously injured, and buildings were destroyed.

The terror continued on the island of Utøya. Sixty-nine people were killed, most of them young, and several hundred were hurt physically and psychologically. 

And let us state again, very clearly: This was not a random 'disaster'. The attacks were targeted at the Workers’ Youth League and the Labour Party. At people working for Norwegian democracy. At young people with a deep commitment to social activism.

It was an attack on the fundamental values on which our country is built – human rights, equality, equal rights, diversity and tolerance. It was carefully planned. A deliberate act rooted in far-right extremist ideology.

And we must remind ourselves that terror is never arbitrary, terror has a motive and a purpose. Terror generates fear and strikes civilians.

That is the true story of what happened 15 years ago.

And we must never forget these truths, because we all have a responsibility to stand up to terror and violence, and to prevent this from ever happening again.

I strongly encourage everyone to visit the website and explore the video remembrance project 77 Stories, which was mentioned earlier. – One story for each person we lost. A window into their lives.  

Fifteen years have passed

Every anniversary is important, – but in my opinion, this year’s commemoration is particularly important.

Fifteen years have passed since 22 July 2011. That means that new generations are emerging; today, it seems as though a new generation starts every 15 years.

And what kind of responsibilities does that entail for us? Children and young people need to hear about these events from those who witnessed them, from those of us who know what happened.

They need help to understand this horrific event in context. Where did it come from? How could it happen? Why was the terrorist not exposed and stopped in time? What did Norwegian society learn from 22 July?

New memorial site

Friends,

The square where we are standing today, Johan Nygaardsvold Square, has been transformed and renewed. A shattered part of the city has been restored.

The Government Office Complex has been reopened and democracy has moved back to the place where it belongs. Just as Utøya was rebuilt and made stronger starting back in 2015.

Six government ministries and the Office of the Prime Minister have moved in. More than 2 200 employees now work here. After 15 years of being in 'exile', as I like to say, in various part of the city.

I would like to thank the employees and welcome you back – to an area that is no longer damaged or a construction site. Moving back here has been challenging for many of us. This is a place where close colleagues were killed and many were injured.

The renovated area now includes a memorial site, and is home to the permanent 22 July Centre, a national remembrance and learning centre, which we will be opening today. And as the Centre says: ‘Never again starts with understanding.’

Understanding is precisely what this Centre will help us with. I would like to thank everyone who worked to locate the Centre here. There were also forces that believed it would be more appropriate to place it somewhere else.

Memorial sculpture

But there is tremendous significance in having it here, as a visible reminder of what happened. Johan Nygaardsvold Square has therefore been given a new purpose – and a new role.

Here we also find the national memorial sculpture that was unveiled on Sunday: Artist Matias Faldbakken’s work entitled En opprettholdelse ('Upholding') A steel rig that frames a mosaic depicting a scene from Utøya – water, reeds and a bird. Some have been asking when will the steel structure be removed? The answer is never, because it supports this beautiful mosaic and shows us that we support one another.

The monument links together the city and the island of Utøya. The names of all 77 victims are engraved in the steel beam at the bottom. And when we look towards the mosaic, we are in fact also looking towards Utøya. 

Many of us were able to participate in placing the final 7 000 pieces of the artwork's 300 000 mosaic stones. Survivors, family members, schoolchildren, and I myself as well, were able to lay a stone. A co-production. A sense of being part of something larger than ourselves.

The row of Linden trees that is standing behind me draws a green line back through the city’s history to the 19th century, when this was the entrance to a very different kind of area. 

These trees, and their roots, have survived. They are 'upholding'. The reeds and the bird in the mosaic seem fragile, much like life itself.

But nature – and we are all part of nature too – is also robust. Like the steel that preserved Picasso and Nesjar’s 'The Seagull', and which now protects another bird, in another landscape.

This message of solidarity makes us stronger. And let me refer to our national football team once again: We are 'stronger together'.

Friends,

The title of this memorial is 'Upholding'. So what is it that we, 15 years on, need to uphold? I have a few thoughts to share:

Far-right extremism

First,

We must continue to tell the truth about what happened; about the terrorist’s motives; where he came from; about the consequences of far-right extremism, hatred and contempt for democracy; and about how we, as a society, can respond.

The brutal story of a politically motivated mass murder must be told and explained. Especially at a time when facts and truth are competing with lies and conspiracy theories – such as claims that 22 July was staged, that it never happened – claims that can easily be found online. The 22 July Centre will help us with this. 

All the parties in the Storting agree that information about the terrorist attacks is important, and must be based on facts. That was made clear in their joint 22 July declaration issued before the summer. Thank you to my colleagues from the other political parties.

Second,

We must continue to take part in discussions, debates and conversations. There is an increasingly sharp tone in the public debate, particularly on social media, and polarisation, hate speech and threats have become pervasive.

Research shows that more people now hold extremist views, and the warnings from the Police Security Service must be taken seriously. The Police Security Service has reported an increase in minors being radicalised into far-right extremism. Young people are being drawn into extremist networks through social media.

This is extremely serious. We must not allow the extremist voices to be normalised. We must fill the public space for freedom of expression with constructive discussions on diversity, xenophobia and racism.

We must offer our support to the voices that need us. Especially the voices of young people, the minority communities – those who are contending with this.

And I would like to add: A strong democracy can tolerate spirited disagreement. The greatest threat is not conflicting views. The greatest threat is indifference. As the author Elie Wiesel wrote: 'The opposite of love is not hate, it's indifference.' That is what we must fight against.

Third,

We have to be realistic. Norwegian society is not immune to terrorism.

We have seen this. Far-right extremism has become a greater threat to security and a broader challenge to society. It is very painful to accept – but that is the reality.

22 July 2011 taught us something about prevention.

Prevention is one of the most difficult and most important tasks to carry out.

We know that good prevention works. Providing support to those who are marginalised, those who isolate themselves, those who feel they are not part of the community.

We also know that prevention requires close cooperation and coordinated efforts across sectors: the police, schools, mental health services, local communities, voluntary organisations and others. 

Prevention is everyone’s responsibility.

We are building resilience together – and we are commemorating that today as well: A safe, democratic country, where we share a high level of trust in one another, where a sense of community and solidarity is our strength.

Thank you

In closing, I would like to thank the Workers’ Youth League for its work in communicating knowledge about 22 July since – well, every day since it happened. Special thanks to Gaute (Skjervø) today. You are in the final stretch of your term as AUF leader, and you are the last member of the AUF leadership who was on Utøya in 2011.

Thank you for the courage you have shown, as a young person, as a friend, in what you have faced and in what you have been dealing with. You are not alone. There is a great weight on your shoulders, and we will walk beside you and help you to carry it. 

I would also like to give special thanks to the National Support Group, and to Lisbeth Røyneland, who recently stepped down as chair after 11 years of service. As the support group’s representative, Lisbeth has been a pillar of strength for many of us – myself included – and her wise, principled approach has proven crucial.

And I wish you the best of luck, Merete Stamneshagen, as you take on the role as leader now. You have a lot of experience with this. You know what is needed.

Thanks are also due to the 22 July Centre, which has played a key role in disseminating information about that day over these past years. You are back where you should be, and we are very happy about that.

The Workers' Youth League, the National Support Group and the 22 July Centre are all the bearers of knowledge, insight and experience from the that day the worst happened, 15 years ago.

And we say, as we say every year: We must never be silent. We must never forget.