Anders Behring Breivik, who last summer killed 77 people in Norway, thinks a folk song called Children of the Rainbow is brainwashing young Norwegians.
The song is a version of Pete Seeger's My Rainbow Race. Breivik, who claims he's a soldier in a battle to protect the Norwegian people from all sorts of things (such as immigrants, non-Christians and Marxism), is now on trial for killings he freely admits to have carried out. From things he's said in court about Children of the Rainbow, it appears he thinks lyrics such as these (translation by Reuters) are dangerous:
"A sky full of stars
"Blue ocean far as you see
"An earth where flowers grow.
"Can you wish for more?
"Together we shall live
"Every sister, every brother
"Small children of the rainbow
"And a fertile soil"
....
"But tell all the children
"Tell your father, tell your mother
"This is our last chance
"To share one hope, one world"
Well, as The Associated Press reports: "Shocked by Breivik's lack of remorse for his massacre, Norwegians by and large have decided the best way to confront him is by demonstrating their commitment to everything he loathes."
Today in Oslo and other cities, many gathered to sing Children of the Rainbow. An estimated 40,000 stood in the rain in the capital, where they were led in song by folk singer Lillebjørn Nilsen. There's video here.
Copyright 2021 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.
