Anders Breivik trial Day 7

24/04/2012

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April 24, 2012, day seven of the trial of multiple killer Anders Behring Breivik in Oslo, Norway.

After giving testimony to the court for days it was the turn of Breivik to listen. Today witnesses were giving evidence on the July 22, 2011 massacre, the day when Breivik killed 77 people. The bomb attack in Oslo involved a 950-kg fertilizer bomb which caused terrible injuries to some of the dead. For members of the emergency services dealing with the aftermath of the explosion in Oslo it was carnage. More than 100 body parts wee found scattered around the area.

The day in court was once more very hard for the relatives of those killed by Breivik. Images shown of autopsies reduced many to tears. Specific images of injuries sustained were only shown to court officials and those deemed as needing to view them.

Through most of the day in court Beivik remained seemingly emotionless. A flicker of a smile flit across his face when a security guard was giving evidence. This fleeting sign of life was in response to the guard's assessment that Breivik's reason for the murders was “totally absurd.”

Police operations leader Thor Langli went on to describe the day's events in Oslo and in the government buildings. Many twists of fate led to police not reaching the island of Utoya for some time. By then 69 people had been killed on the island. Breivik has said that he was prepared to die that day and was sure that he would be killed before he carried out the Island attack. It goes without saying that it would have been so much easier, and better for many, if he had.

The trial continues and is expected to last for nine weeks.
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Norway trial Day Two, Breivik smugly has judge removed

17/04/2012

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The trial of mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik is dominating news reports across Europe and other parts of the world. The killing of 77 innocent people was carried out by Breivik, without a shadow of a doubt. The trial however is attempting to ascertain the man's state of mind at the time of the killings. Was he sane, a total madman, a calculated cold blooded killer, misguided or simply evil.

Today April 17, 2012 was the second day of what may become a lengthy trial. Beivik is loving his days in court. He obviously believes that he has the intelligence to be freed from all charges. He has done his research and smiles obnoxiously with each small triumph.

Today that triumph was managing to remove one of the judges from his trial. The male judge had at the time of the murders posted an online message saying that Breivik deserved the death penalty for what he had done. Anders smiled smugly as he won this point.

It will of course prove difficult if not impossible to guarantee Breivik a totally fair trial. The media attention in July 2011, when the murders took place, will have been viewed by most people. It always strikes this blogger as odd that someone who has no respect for the law of the land at all, wants to utilise it when deemed appropriate by themselves.

Breivik began today in court with his clenched fist salute. As soon as the cuffs were released he performed this action. Perhaps tomorrow they should leave the cuffs on and deny him this one small victory. His salute has been viewed as an almost Nazi salute to his extreme right wing brothers and sisters by some. For others it has been seen as an act of defiance. The same salute has been used in the past by those fighting for political freedom such as the black athletes in the 1968 Olympics. Be it purely defiance or Breivik's belief that he is fighting a political cause is unclear. It is after all a familiar left wing, anti fascist pose.

Today Anders told the court that what he did last year, that is the murders, was him "fighting a battle against multi-culturalism and acting out of "goodness, not evil".

SkyNews reporting from the court said Breivik, "Reading from a 13-page document that he wrote in custody, Anders Behring Breivik defended his massacre and called it the most "spectacular attack by a nationalist militant since World War Two".
He said he would repeat his actions again, if he could. "Yes, I would do it again," he said, adding that life in prison or dying for "his people" would be "the biggest honour".

At the core of his beliefs is racial purity. He beliefs in a white Norwegian race. He abhors mutli-culturalism. Breivik also claimed that other one man cells exist in Norway. On the stand Anders tried to turn his evidence into an excuse for a long meandering propaganda statement. The judge had to keep asking that he curtailed his offensive words and cut short his statements. Survivors and loved ones of the murdered, who were in court had a gruelling time.

Although his speech was researched and utilised history it was rambling. SkyNews reported,  "For many people, it was very surprising to hear how soft, almost nasal, his voice was. He didn't appear dangerous in any way."It was very hard to see that this softly spoken man is actually the person who murdered 77 people."

Isn't that the usual case though? 

It is going to be a long and costly trial and that's for sure.
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Norwegian killer, Anders Behring Breviks day in court

16/04/2012

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April 16, 2012, Oslo, Norway

Today Anders Behring Breivik has had his "day in court". It will be one of many such days. Painful in the extreme to the loved ones of those murdered by Breivik, the trial is a necessary evil.

There is no doubt that Breivik committed the murders but what is on trial is his sanity and his motives. In spite of being caught red-handed and never claiming that he did not carry out the murders Brevik has pleaded not guilty.

On July 22, 2011, Anders Breivik systematically carried out acts that would directly lead to the deaths of 77 people. Firstly he set off explosions in the Norwegian capital before taking a trip to the nearby island of Utoyea. Here he went on a shooting spree killing many young people.

In some ways the police let the people down. Caught up in the Oslo bomb attack they were not as quick to respond to the second attack as they should have been. Arriving on the island an hour later the destruction was complete. But of course the only person truly responsible for the many deaths was Breivik.

Brevik was uncuffed in court and immediately went into a closed fist communist or defiant salute. He smiled slightly and appeared a calm and quietly spoken individual. He showed no emotion as the names of the dead were read out. The reading of the long list took almost as long as it did for Anders to kill them all.

In his opening words, Anders told the court, "I don't recognise Norwegian courts because you get your mandate from the Norwegian political parties who support multiculturalism." After the names, details and outlines of each death were read out he went on, "I admit to the acts, but not criminal guilt." He then told the court that he had acted in self-defence. 

Throughout his court appearance Breivik showed that he is a well read and intelligent, or perhaps that should be educated, man. He will attempt to claim that he acted in defence. This stems from a Norwegian law which holds the principle of preventive self-defence.  Breivik is anti Muslim and believes that current legislation allows for mass immigration into Norway and a "Muslim takeover".

Breivik will of course hope to use his trial as a platform for his fanatical right wing views.Deemed sane enough to stand trial only recently he has all the hallmarks of a mad man. If tired and found guilty as a sane individual he faces up to 21 years in jail. Most people would expect a much longer jail term for him.

In court today he did finally shed tears and look somewhat emotional but that was when his extreme video footage was played.

More here

Tags: Anders Behring Breivik, Norway, Norwegian, Utoyea, Oslo trial, mad man, right wing extremist, bomb attack
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