- Title: AUSTRIA: Mood at socialist youth camp dampened after Norway attacks
- Date: 28th July 2011
- Summary: VARIOUS OF YOUTHS SINGING
- Embargoed: 12th August 2011 13:00
- Keywords:
- Location: Austria, Austria
- Country: Austria
- Topics: Crime,Politics
- Reuters ID: LVA1RTBPENFZOBYLE1LQTPTOOLVV
- Story Text: Just days after the deadly shooting at a Labour Party youth camp in Norway, members of the International Union of Socialist Youth (IUSY) gathered in Austria for a summer camp on Tuesday (July 26).
Hundreds of young people have set up tents at a camp in the Austrian town of Attersee close to Salzburg to take part in the IUSY World Festival 2011.
Young members of the Norwegian Labour Party were expected to have attended the week-long event in Austria, but after the attack on an island near Oslo on Friday (July 22), were no longer attending.
Leaders of the socialist parties of Germany, Austria and Sweden visited the IUSY World Festival 2011 camp. The head of Germany's Social Democrats, Sigmar Gabriel said that socialists around the world were thinking of those in Norway.
"Along with the Social Democrats and Socialists in Europe and the rest of the world, I'm utterly dismayed and infinitely sad about the event that took place in Norway last Friday. Our thoughts go out to the families of the victims and all the people of Norway," he said.
He was joined by the head of the Swedish Socialist Party, Hakan Juholt and Austrian Chancellor Werner Faymann who pledged his solidarity with the people of Norway, quoting the Norwegian Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg.
"It's really deeply impressive that after this horrific attack, after this incredible murders, he said, and I will quote it, with appropriate words "If one man can show so much hate, imagine all the love and humanity we all can give." I only can say, our friend Stoltenberg, we stand with you. We stand on your side," Faymann told the youngsters who applauded his words.
Despite the summer sunshine and the chance to get together, sing and play sports with like-minded people from around the world, those at the camp said their thoughts were with their Norwegian colleagues.
"Of course the events in Oslo are a subject here. You can't deny this. We are all sad and shocked but also very angry about what happened and the attack against our sister organisation, who also should have been here is also an attack against us," Irini Pzaferif told Reuters TV.
"I come from here and have been in this camp very often so we can imagine what kind of situation these young people are children were in and it is terrible that they were killed in such a brutal massacre. Of course it has cast a shadow over this event," said Michael Lindner.
The lawyer of a Norwegian who killed at least 76 people in a bombing and a shooting spree said on Tuesday his client appeared to be a madman.
Friday's (July 22) attacks by Anders Behring Breivik traumatised normally peaceful Norway, which has been struggling to come to terms with its worst peace-time massacre.
The lawyer said it was too early to say if Breivik would plead insanity at his trial, adding that his client might oppose this as he felt that only he "understands the truth". He said Breivik had stated he belonged to an anti-Islam network that has two cells in Norway and more abroad. But police believe Breivik probably acted alone in staging his bloody assaults, which have united Norwegians in revulsion.
An armed SWAT team took more than an hour to reach Utoeya island, where Breivik was coolly shooting terrified youngsters at a Labour Party youth camp. He killed 68 there and eight in an earlier bombing of Oslo's government district.
Norwegian newspapers published pictures and names of some of those killed on the island northwest of Oslo. The youngest was 14. Many were teenagers or in their early 20s.
Researchers doubt Breivik's claim that he is part of a wider far-right network of anti-Islam "crusaders", seeing it as bragging by a psychopathic fantasist who has written that exaggeration is a way to sow confusion among investigators. - Copyright Holder: REUTERS
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