Anders Behring Breivik, a far-right terrorist and extremist, gave the Nazi salute today in Norway as he attempted to get parole for a decade spent behind bars.
Placards with white supremacist slogans were also displayed by the 42-year old, which confirmed victims’ fear that he would use the hearing to make grandstands.
Breivik received a 21-year sentence in prison, which is the maximum punishment under Norwegian law for his July 2011 killing of 77 victims in a bombing and gun attack.
Eight people died when a car bomb planted by Breivik exploded outside government offices in Oslo, and he then gunned down 69 others – most of them teenagers – in an attack on a summer camp run by the ruling Labour Party on a nearby island.
Anders Behring Breivik (the far-right terrorist who murdered 77 people with a bombing and gun attack in Norway in 2011) gave a Nazi salute as he began his parole hearing today
Breivik was dressed in dark clothing and a clean-shaven face as he entered court.
Signs in English were also displayed by him, with slogans like “Stop your Genocide against Our White Nations” and “Nazi Civil War”.
Breivik, when addressing the judge, described himself as a candidate for parliament.
After the Oslo state prosecution office rejected Breivik’s request for an early release, the Telemark court will be hearing the case in Skien this week.
Reuters was told by Hulda Karlsdottir ahead of the hearing, “Our position is that (continued] confinement is necessary to protect society.”
The proceedings will be held in the prison gym, which has been converted to a temporary courtroom. A decision is expected around a week later.
Breivik is eligible to be released from jail for an indefinite period if considered a threat to public safety. He is also allowed to attend parole hearings every other month to revise his sentence.
Karlsdottir stated that Breivik can request a hearing for probation in one year if his request is not granted.
Breivik lost an instance concerning human rights in 2017. An appeals court overturned a ruling by the lower court that Breivik’s three-room confinement in isolation was cruel.
An appeal by the European Court of Human Rights was denied.
Breivik has shown no remorse since the killings, having used his initial trial and subsequent human rights hearings to brag about the scale of the slaughter and make Nazi salutes in court.
On July 22, 2011, Breivik, who had spent months meticulously planning, detonated the car bomb near Oslo’s government headquarters. Eight people were killed and dozens more were injured.
Randi Rosenqvist is a psychiatrist who followed Breivik after his 2012 imprisonment.
“In principle, parole seekers would have to express remorse in practice and show understanding of why these acts can’t be repeated,” she stated.
He will ask her to testify and she will submit the psychiatric reports. This is crucial in cases where criminals want to prove that they are not dangerous.
Berit Johnsen is a research professor at University College of Norwegian Correctional Service.
“It is evident that there is still a very high chance that he will be convicted of new crimes after he is freed.”
On July 22, 2011, Breivik, who had spent months meticulously planning, detonated the car bomb near Oslo’s government headquarters. Eight people were killed and many others were injured.
He then drove to the island of Utøya, where he opened fire on the annual summer camp of the left-wing Labor Party’s youth wing. Sixty nine people were killed there, the majority of which were teenagers. Breivik then surrendered to police.
In 2012 Breivik was handed the maximum 21-year sentence with a clause — rarely used in the Norwegian justice system — that he can be held indefinitely if he is still considered a danger to society.
He can request a parole hearing after ten years. This clause is what allows Breivik to do so. Johnsen says that while it is likely to result in a lifetime sentence, Breivik may be able to request annual parole hearings, where he will have the opportunity for him broadcast his opinions.
‘According to Norwegian law he has a right now to go before a judge,’ said Øystein Storrvik, Breivik’s defense lawyer.
“He insists on that right. I find it difficult to judge his motivation.
Breivik then drove to the island of Utøya, where he opened fire on the annual summer camp of the left-wing Labor Party’s youth wing. Sixty nine people were killed there, mostly teenagers. Breivik then surrendered to the police.
Storrvik said that Breivik would call Per Oberg, a Swedish neo Nazi to defend him. Although he did not elaborate on the facts of Breivik’s case, he made it clear that no one should be expected to repent.
Storrvik stated that there was no legal obligation to show remorse.
“So, it’s not a main legal point. The legal issue is not whether the person is dangerous.
Lisbeth Kristine Røyneland, who heads a family and survivors support group, fears giving Breivik a platform could inspire likeminded ideologues.
“I suspect he’s doing it to gain attention.” “The only thing that I fear is his ability to freely communicate and express extreme views to other people with similar mindsets,” she stated.
She mentioned the example of Philip Manshaus (Norwegian shooter), who instigated by 2019 New Zealand terrorist attacks murdered his stepmother and tried to storm a mosque.
Breivik uses grandstanding as a way to advance his extremist agendas.
In 2012’s trial, he was seen entering the courtroom each day, flashing his closed fist salute to grieving parents and saying that he wishes he had done more.
He was trying to form a fascist Party in Prison and reached out via mail to right-wing extremists from Europe and America.
Many of the letters were taken by prison officials fearing that Breivik might inspire other violent attackers.
He sued the government in 2016 claiming that his isolation, frequent strip searches, and being handcuffed throughout his early incarceration were violations of his human rights.
He gave a Nazi salute to journalists in the course of his case, which was initially won. However, it was overturned in 2017 by higher courts.
While the hearing should last 3 days, however, the verdict won’t be made public for at least several weeks.