Inside Story

An indictment of social integration?

We ask to what extent the Norway attacks were motivated by anger over immigration.

Anders Behring Breivik, a 32-year-old Norwegian, was arrested this weekend in connection with the bombing of a government building and a mass shooting at a youth summer camp.

The attacks, which have claimed upwards of 92 lives, came as a deep shock to the citizens of Norway, who have not seen anything on this scale since the Second World War.

The reasons for the attacks remain unknown, but it has been speculated that they stem from Breivik’s hatred of Norway’s multiculturalism and the government’s immigration policies.

In this show we ask: To what degree were the attacks motivated by extreme ideology and anger over excessive immigration? And what impact might they have on social integration in Norway and across Europe?

Inside Story, with presenter Jane Dutton, discusses with guests: Georgi Gotev, a senior editor at EurActiv, the European Union Information website; Lena Larsen, a project director from the Oslo Coalition on Freedom of Religion or Belief; and Stig Hansen, the author of the book Borders of Islam.

This episode of Inside Story aired on Sunday, July 24, 2011.