Sunday saw Norway commemorate the one-year anniversary of last year’s attacks in Oslo and Utoeya Island.
Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg placed a wreath at the site of the bombing in Oslo and later attended a similar ceremony on Utoeya Island with victims’ family members and hundreds of others.
Stoltenberg said to those in attendance, “The killer failed; the people have won,” the BBC reports. He added, “It’s been a very heavy year for all of us. Not a day has passed when the tragedy has not filled the room. The bomb and bullets were aimed at changing Norway. The Norwegian people responded by embracing our values. Let us honour the dead by being happy about the life they had, and the life we share.”
Later, Christin Bjelland, a mother of one of the victims, said, “What happened here is so huge, there were so many affected, that I think it means a lot to come together for those who wish to feel the love and care between all the affected.”
The event comes a full year after 77 people were killed and another 242 were injured in the July 22 dual terror attacks, which were the worst violence seen on Norway’s soil since the end of WII.
Right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik, who has admitted the attacks, is currently awaiting sentencing.
Several other ceremonies were held in churches and various community centres around the Scandinavian country on Sunday. In the evening, Bruce Springstein made a surprise guest appearance in Oslo’s central square, signing We Shall Overcome alongside more than 60,000 local residents.