Podcast “Survivors”
Tarjei Jensen Bech was shot in the attack on the Norwegian island of Utøya. In the podcast, the now 27-year-old tells how he helped save others and narrowly escaped death himself. Today he is politically active – and has to deal with right-wing extremists again.
From Mathias Braschler
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Utøya, a small island in the Tyrifjord, 40 kilometers northwest of Oslo, on July 22nd, 2011. Members of the youth organization of the Norwegian Workers’ Party have traveled to the annual summer camp from all over Norway. Tarjei Jensen Bech is here with a group of young political activists from Hammerfest in the far north of the country. He was taking a nap in his cabin this Friday afternoon when gunfire rang out outside. Through the window he sees a blond man in police uniform executing young people with a rifle from close range. Bech takes heart and runs to warn other camp participants.
In the podcast, the now 27-year-old tells how he helped save others and narrowly escaped death himself. The gunshot wound on his leg has healed, but he still has daily pain. As Vice-Governor of the northern Norwegian province of Finnmark, Jensen Bech tries to transform the lessons from Utøya into practical politics. For this he is repeatedly attacked and threatened by right-wing extremist compatriots. “I am afraid that the thoughts and beliefs of the assassin are still in the world,” he says.
>> To the overview of all “survivors” episodes
>> Here you can find the multimedia project on “Survivors” with other survivors in a video interview.
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