OSLO – “Freedom is stronger than fear,” King Harald told Norwegians today, hoping to unite a nation shattered by an anti-immigration zealot who killed 77, mostly young, people in two attacks.
The King spoke, often in a trembling voice, at a national ceremony of remembrance for those killed last month by Anders Behring Breivik who detonated a car bomb in Oslo and shot youths at a Labor Party camp on Utoeya island outside the capital.
Relatives sobbed when the names of the dead were read out one by one, while pictures of their smiling faces were projected on a screen.
“I maintain a belief that freedom is stronger than fear,” said King Harald.
“It is good to be together at this time . . . . As a father, grandfather and spouse I can only begin to sense some of the pain you feel. As king of the nation I feel for every one of you.”
Dressed in a black suit and with tears in his eyes, the 74-year-old monarch praised the work of emergency workers and others who helped save lives on July 22.
Some 6 700 people attended the ceremony, including relatives of the victims, survivors, police, firemen and emergency personnel who dealt with the attacks.
The Norwegian royal family, the presidents of Finland and Iceland, Swedish Crown Princess Victoria and Denmark’s Crown Prince Frederik attended too, as did all the Nordic prime ministers and diplomats from many countries.
When the victims’ names were read out by five Norwegian actors, relatives could not hold back their tears. A man who seemed to shout out one of the victims’ names was helped out of the hall. (Reuters)
