[h=3]By KJETIL MALKENES HOVLAND[/h]Amid tight police security, 1,500 victims and relatives visited Norway's Utoya island on Sunday to commemorate those who died, one year after right-wing extremist Anders Behring Breivik killed 69 people in a shooting spree there and eight others in a bomb attack against the government district in Oslo.
Also Sunday, many gathered in the streets of Oslo to show respect to the victims and to place flowers in memory of the dead in a grove outside the Oslo Cathedral.
On Utoya, members of the Labor Youth Party bowed their heads in respect of their lost comrades as their leader asked for one minute of silence in commemoration, on the tiny, green, heart-shaped island in the lake Tyrifjorden some 40 kilometers northeast of Oslo.
Renate Tårnes, 22, witnessed her boyfriend Sondre Haller being shot dead in front of her last July 22. Sunday, she was back on the island, singing two songs in memory of him and the scores of other friends who were killed there.
"Days and years pass, and those who live will see," she sang in front of several hundreds of party members, gathered on the slope in front of the Utoya stage, the site of many historical speeches.
"It wasn't a nightmare. It was reality," said Labor youth party leader Eskil Pedersen, reminding his comrades about all the good memories they also had from the island.
In Oslo, the square outside the government block was thoroughly searched with bomb dogs before a wreath ceremony Sunday morning. A few hundred people showed up, among them the families of the eight who died there, who also had their own ceremonies later.
The King and Queen of Norway, most of the country's government ministers and four former prime ministers also joined the ceremony. One of them was Gro Harlem Brundtland, who Mr. Breivik had planned to behead on Utoya, but who left the island before Mr. Breivik arrived.
His Majesty King Harald of Norway, who was in tears during a church service after the terror attacks last year, laid a wreath of white roses.
Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said the perpetrator didn't succeed.
"The bomb and the shots were meant to change Norway," Mr. Stoltenberg said in a speech at the wreath ceremony. "The Norwegian people answered by embracing our values. The perpetrator failed. The people won. Today we commemorate the 77 who were killed."
"I wanted to show compassion, it's good for them to take part in what's happening," said Inger Anne Hagen, who brought her two-year-old twins Anastasia and Tina Camilla to lay red roses at the foot of a tree. "I lived around 50 meters from the government building, I felt the bomb. [The kids] both laid down on the floor. It was strange," she said.
In the crowd was Bjorn Ihler, who helped two young boys flee from the mass killer at Utoya.
"Today I'm going to think about what happened to me and mine, and about those we lost," Mr. Ihler said. "I'm [also] going to think about all the families of those who survived, because they have gotten too little attention, those with children who suffer from post-traumatic stress. This year has been a heavy blow to them."
During a memorial service in the Oslo Cathedral, the leader of the Labor Youth Party said he missed those 69 people who were killed. He thanked the royal couple, the church, the emergency services and those who picked up and saved Utoya kids with their boats.
"Your Majesties, through tears and hugs you've shown the way for the compassion of the entire country," Mr. Pedersen said. "The perpetrator chose his weapons. The people chose other weapons: words, the state of justice and democracy. This year has shown us which ones were the strongest."
Roald Linaker, an army priest, lost his son Gunnar, 23, at Utoya, while his daughter Hanne survived. When you are in grief, it doesn't help being a priest, Mr. Linaker told public broadcaster NRK after the service in the Oslo Cathedral.
"No. The valleys have been very deep," he said. "I have been lucky enough to work as a priest for many years and I've supported many grieving people. I never understood how much it hurts. If we hadn't gotten Hanne back, it wouldn't just have hurt twice as much, it would have become impossible."
Parents and siblings released a big, heart shaped balloon in the air from Utoya on Sunday morning, with personal messages attached to those who were killed.
"I think most of [the families ] dreaded this day, because everything is torn open again," Christin Bjelland from the national July 22 support group told NRK. "What happened is still unbelievable and gruesome, as we heard during the trial.…Losing a child is the worst thing in the world."
She said that many family members felt an urge to be on the island at the exact same time their loved ones were killed, during the evening.
"To have a quiet moment for yourself and the family, and go to the place where you lost your loved ones, that's the most important thing," she said.
Also Sunday, many gathered in the streets of Oslo to show respect to the victims and to place flowers in memory of the dead in a grove outside the Oslo Cathedral.
On Utoya, members of the Labor Youth Party bowed their heads in respect of their lost comrades as their leader asked for one minute of silence in commemoration, on the tiny, green, heart-shaped island in the lake Tyrifjorden some 40 kilometers northeast of Oslo.
Renate Tårnes, 22, witnessed her boyfriend Sondre Haller being shot dead in front of her last July 22. Sunday, she was back on the island, singing two songs in memory of him and the scores of other friends who were killed there.
"Days and years pass, and those who live will see," she sang in front of several hundreds of party members, gathered on the slope in front of the Utoya stage, the site of many historical speeches.
"It wasn't a nightmare. It was reality," said Labor youth party leader Eskil Pedersen, reminding his comrades about all the good memories they also had from the island.
In Oslo, the square outside the government block was thoroughly searched with bomb dogs before a wreath ceremony Sunday morning. A few hundred people showed up, among them the families of the eight who died there, who also had their own ceremonies later.
The King and Queen of Norway, most of the country's government ministers and four former prime ministers also joined the ceremony. One of them was Gro Harlem Brundtland, who Mr. Breivik had planned to behead on Utoya, but who left the island before Mr. Breivik arrived.
His Majesty King Harald of Norway, who was in tears during a church service after the terror attacks last year, laid a wreath of white roses.
Norway's Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg said the perpetrator didn't succeed.
"The bomb and the shots were meant to change Norway," Mr. Stoltenberg said in a speech at the wreath ceremony. "The Norwegian people answered by embracing our values. The perpetrator failed. The people won. Today we commemorate the 77 who were killed."
"I wanted to show compassion, it's good for them to take part in what's happening," said Inger Anne Hagen, who brought her two-year-old twins Anastasia and Tina Camilla to lay red roses at the foot of a tree. "I lived around 50 meters from the government building, I felt the bomb. [The kids] both laid down on the floor. It was strange," she said.
In the crowd was Bjorn Ihler, who helped two young boys flee from the mass killer at Utoya.
"Today I'm going to think about what happened to me and mine, and about those we lost," Mr. Ihler said. "I'm [also] going to think about all the families of those who survived, because they have gotten too little attention, those with children who suffer from post-traumatic stress. This year has been a heavy blow to them."
During a memorial service in the Oslo Cathedral, the leader of the Labor Youth Party said he missed those 69 people who were killed. He thanked the royal couple, the church, the emergency services and those who picked up and saved Utoya kids with their boats.
"Your Majesties, through tears and hugs you've shown the way for the compassion of the entire country," Mr. Pedersen said. "The perpetrator chose his weapons. The people chose other weapons: words, the state of justice and democracy. This year has shown us which ones were the strongest."
Roald Linaker, an army priest, lost his son Gunnar, 23, at Utoya, while his daughter Hanne survived. When you are in grief, it doesn't help being a priest, Mr. Linaker told public broadcaster NRK after the service in the Oslo Cathedral.
"No. The valleys have been very deep," he said. "I have been lucky enough to work as a priest for many years and I've supported many grieving people. I never understood how much it hurts. If we hadn't gotten Hanne back, it wouldn't just have hurt twice as much, it would have become impossible."
Parents and siblings released a big, heart shaped balloon in the air from Utoya on Sunday morning, with personal messages attached to those who were killed.
"I think most of [the families ] dreaded this day, because everything is torn open again," Christin Bjelland from the national July 22 support group told NRK. "What happened is still unbelievable and gruesome, as we heard during the trial.…Losing a child is the worst thing in the world."
She said that many family members felt an urge to be on the island at the exact same time their loved ones were killed, during the evening.
"To have a quiet moment for yourself and the family, and go to the place where you lost your loved ones, that's the most important thing," she said.