More from yesterdays demonstration

Yesterday there was a protest in Gamlebyen, Oslo. Some people were protesting against Islam, while some other people were protesting against people protesting against Islam. Here’s some more info, a gallery and a video clip.

Happy to serve.

Side#1 (The Anti-Muslims):

• Claim that muslims are taking over Europe.
• Believes that most muslims are extremists that hate non-believers.
• Uses their democratic freedom to arrange demonstrations and publicly express their point of view.
• Wants to expel all muslims from Norway/Europe (even the ones that are born and raised here).
• Claim that they are non-violent.
• Claim that all muslims are either violent or that they’re waiting to become the majority before they hijack our democracy.
• Are against the fact that many schools in Oslo have a majority of immigrants (some schools around 90%, but not all of them are muslims).
• Have a dream that society will return to being ethnical white (like it pretty much was all the way up until the end of the 1970’s).
• Anti-Sharia

Side#2 (The Anti-Anti-Muslims)

• Claims that Side#1 are racists.
• “Criticism of Islam = racism” (?)
• Claim that Side#1 are friends of Norwegian terrorist Anders Behring Breivik.
• Thinks that freedom of speech is good (but should only apply to those who agree with themselves).
• On multiple occasions they’ve used violence to stop political opponents such as Side#1 and supporters of Israel.

The police sealed off the neighborhood.

The anti-muslim group

Notice the banners in the windows.

Officers from Romeo (the riding police)

“Klosterenga for everyone” (except people who don’t like islam)

Journalists

Happy to serve.

Sometimes you just need a strecth when you’re having a hard day at work.

The anti-muslim protest behind the fence. On this side of the fence: journalists.

People came to protest against the anti-muslims (technically protesting against freedom of speech)

Backing up into formation

It was a cold day for both police, journalists, animals and demonstrators.

Goldilocks has joined the police force.

Anti-muslims from Norway, Sweden, England and Poland.

The walls of Oslo Prison – the district prison of Oslo, Norway. It is the largest prison in Norway, with a capacity of around 350 detainees.

The anti-muslims came from Norway, Sweden, England and Poland.

A bit blurry photo (shot while filming).

This one was also shot while filming.

Security Measures
The police sealed off the area to protect Side#1 against Side#2. They put up 2 checkpoints, plus a sealed off area inside the 2 checkpoints where Side#1 could hold their protest.
If we’re not counting the protestors from Side#1, the people inside the police checkpoints consisted of 95% journalists. The rest (5%) were 3 children from the neighborhood, some police officers dressed in civilian clothing, plus a young couple that no-one really knew or seemed to pay much attention to.

Also among the spectators, was a researcher from the College of Oslo (he was there as a researcher – not to express support with Side#1). His name is Lars Gule and he’s a public person that is often used by Norwegian media as an “expert-witness on political extremists and Islam”. Today he’s teaching Islam at the College of Oslo, but in 1977 he was arrested in Beirut on his way to Israel with explosives in his luggage. His plan was to blow up some jews, but his plan was thwarted. (http://no.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lars_Gule).

As you can see from the photos, Side#1 was a tiny bunch of people while Side#2 totally outnumbered them. Even the journalists was close to outnumber Side#1 (and at some point I believe they did).

Many of the residents in the neighborhood had put banners with Oslo and a heart in the windows facing the park where the protest was being held. Someone put up a banner that read “Klosterenga for alle”, meaning ‘Klosterenga for everyone’ (Klosterenga is the name of the park).

Here’s a clip from the protest (sorry about the camera shake, but I don’t have a steady hand, nor enough experience, when it comes to filming…)

This was posted under the category News Photos