Norwegian problem

Chris Trotter is pursuing the Right-wing's furious dodging of responsibility around the political terrorism that occurred when the Right-wing gunman murdered the Left-wing youths on Norway's Utoya Island and exploded a bomb in an attempt to kill members of the Left wing Norwegian Government.
Don't go looking for clarity around the politically motivated murders on any of our New Zealand Right-wing blogs - the silence there will deafen you and the hands clamped over Right-wing blogger mouths will frustrate you as much as it does me, should you be seeking genuine and open discussion.

Trotter says:

"Anders Behring Breivik is indisputably a political terrorist, and the Norwegian authorities have treated him as such. He is being tried for terrorism.

So, why have governments and newspaper editors around the world shied away from using the words “terrorism” and “terrorist” to describe the murderous acts of this 32-year-old ultra-nationalist, anti-socialist, cultural exclusionist?

Over and over again we hear and read about Breivik as “the gunman” who went on a shooting “rampage” or “spree”.

Breivik’s victims have been similarly misrepresented. These young people weren’t gunned down for being “teenagers”, and Utoya Island wasn’t chosen simply because it was a “summer camp”. Breivik’s target was the annual gathering of the youth wing of the Norwegian Labour Party – the dominant partner in Norway’s left-wing coalition government."