Norway massacre: The way back for survivors

Published on 25/08/2012 01:15

The court’s decision has been praised by many people, with some saying the ruling will allow them to begin to recover from the mass murder.

Per Anders Langerod, a survivor of the Utoya island shooting spree, said: “I actually want to visit him in his jail cell and yell at him … really hard for 15 minutes, 20 minutes, throw some plates on the floor, you know, show anger.

“I don’t want to hurt him, but I want to explain to him how cruel it was. When someone tries to kill you, you get a problematic relationship with violence. I don’t want to hurt him because I have a problem with violence, now more than ever.”

Tore Sindiing Bekkedal, another Utoya survivor, commented: “I am very relieved and happy about the outcome. I believe he is mad, but it is political madness and not psychiatric madness.

“He is a pathetic and sad little person.”

Per Balch Soerensen, father of Danish woman killed on Utoya, said: “Now we won’t hear about him for quite a while. Now we can have peace and quiet. He doesn’t mean anything to me. He is just air.”

Rescue worker Bjoern Kasper Ilaug added: “The verdict is positive toward a situation where we can start … moving forward. That is very important. This has been a heavy burden for many people for 13 months.”