I was in the kitchen - I guess I was cooking - when Husband said: there's been a big explosion in Oslo 3 minutes ago. It was just before 3:30 pm. Pretty soon information began to come on what had happened, and films and pictures of the devastation on the internet. A large bomb had exploded devastating the buildings that house the government offices. I was thinking: the timing was good, partly because a lot of people are on vacation in July, and of those who are not, many would have already gone home for the day by this time on a friday afternoon. Also it is just the time for shift change at most hospitals and urgent care facilities, so that they can easily get more staff by holding back the day shift... We were following developements. I contacted the boys, especially Tormod in the US. A couple of hours later came the news that there was shooting at utøya an island where a political youth camp w being held. It seemed like forever before we heard more about it in the news. When we went to bed the shooter had been arrested, and there was talk of several casualties. All the Oslo hospitals were in catastrophe readiness and I had been called in to work an extra day shift in the morning, so I went to bed early. At midnight I was messaged from work that the catastrophe readiness was reduced, andI didn't need to come after all.
What was our surprise and shock to wake up in the morning to the news that over 80 kids - the camp participants were from 14 to 25 years old - had been shot dead! How could one man kill so many? The massacre at utøya completely overshadowed the bombing, which, though destroying several government buildings, only killed 7 - 9, and severely wounded 10. Of course there we a lot of minor injuries. A colleague who also works at the Oslo urgent care said they treated 70 patients for injuries from the bombing. On the island 85 were killed outright, 20 are in critical condition, and altogether about 70 were more or less seriously injured. 2 are still missing in the ruins from the bomb, and 4-5 are missing on the island. I went orienteering with Lucy, listening to the radio on my mp3 player and crying. It was all so incredibly sad. The stories these kids told were heartbreaking. The shooter had dressed up in a police uniform, which made the kids uncertain and chased them all over the island, shooting as many as possible, even shooting at the boats that were rescuing swimmers from the water. It has been a day of mourning in Norway. All flags at half mast. This tragedy hit not only Oslo, but the whole country, as there were delegations at Utøya from every county in Norway. The guy they arrested, a right wing ethnic Norwegian, seems to be responsible for both attacks, and apparently did it alone.
Today I have been called to do a night shift, as the ER is still keeping more staff than usual. Because the trauma center is overloaded wih patients from the bombing and shooting, othere hospitals, such as the one where I work are taking some of their regular patients. I've been thinking about acts of terror and what they try to accomplish. What they arer attacking. This attack was typical in tht it constitutes an attack on Norway's social democratic values: on openness, tolerance and an inclusive society. Terrorist attacks typically aim for a polarisation of society, and are ofen carried out by fundamentalists of one persuasion or another. In the case of the islamist attacks on the United States The effect was unfortunatly that the amereican sosiety turned in the direction of a police state, due to the hate, fear and rage spawned by the attacks. I hope Norway will come through this with her commitment to her core values intact.
Kringsatt av fiender, gå inn i din tid
Under en blodig storm, vi deg til strid.
Kanskje du spør i angst, udekket, åpen.
Hva skal jeg kjempe med? Hva er mit våpen?
Her er din vern mot vold, her er dit sverd:
Troen på livet vårt, menneskets verd.
For all vår fremtids skyld, Søk det og dyrk det,
Dø om du må, men øk det og styrk det.
- Nordahl Grieg
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