Oslo to get memorial for 2022 Pride terror attack
In a
press release
issued on June 25th, the anniversary attack, Norway's culture minister Lubna Jaffery said that the government would allocate 5 million kroner and instruct Koro, Norway's public art body, to commission the memorial.
"The memorial site to June 25th should be a place of collective grief, reflection and resistance," Jaffery said. "Through a living memorial, we will ensure that the conversations about June 25th continue into the future."
The announcement, made in the middle of Oslo Pride week, was welcomed by the leader of Oslo Pride, Dan Bjørke.
"I hope it can be a place that reminds us of the struggle and the debate we must have about the living conditions of queer people," he said. "The fact that we can then have a memorial that can show and remind us of the terrible attack is very important."
In an interview with NRK, Jaffery said that though a site for the memorial had yet to be decided it would be natural for it to be placed on Rosenkrantz gate, the pub-packed street where much of the shooting took place.
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Matapour mounted his attack on June 25th, the eve of the Oslo Pride march, targeting the London Pub, a popular gay hangout.
Matapour was found guilty of serious terror offences in July 2024, and was sentenced to 30 years in prison, the harshest sentence possible under Norwegian law.
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