Norway warns of rising far-right extremism on terror attack anniversary

By Xinhua Published: Jul 23, 2026 12:09 PM

People attend a name-reading and wreath-laying ceremony on Utoya Island, Norway, July 22, 2026. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday warned of the growing threat of far-right radicalization among young people, saying social media, artificial intelligence and social isolation were fueling extremism, as the country marked the 15th anniversary of the July 22, 2011 terror attacks. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday warned of the growing threat of far-right radicalization among young people, saying social media, artificial intelligence and social isolation were fueling extremism, as the country marked the 15th anniversary of the July 22, 2011 terror attacks.

"Time does not heal all wounds," Store said in a speech on Utoya Island. On July 22, 2011, far-right extremist Anders Behring Breivik carried out Norway's deadliest terrorist attacks, killing 77 people in a bombing in Oslo's Government Quarter and a mass shooting at a summer camp on Utoya Island. The attacks left lasting scars on Norwegian society.

"I believe Norwegian society has underestimated how much the attack has cost the people and the community over these 15 years," he said, adding that the wounds remained deep.

Several people who survived the Utoya attack have since continued working in politics, including ministers and other senior government officials. Store described their continued political engagement as evidence that the determination to shape the future peacefully had prevailed over death and violence.

However, he warned that increasingly younger minors were being drawn into far-right online environments. Vulnerability, loneliness, social exclusion and substance abuse could create fertile ground for radicalization, he said. He also warned that social media algorithms were intensifying polarization, while artificial intelligence was making it easier to produce and spread disinformation.

Commemorations were held across the country. In Oslo, the commemorations began outside the Government Quarter, followed by a memorial service at Oslo Cathedral attended by King Harald V, Queen Sonja, government officials, survivors and bereaved families.

Later in the afternoon, more than 500 survivors, bereaved family members and others affected by the attacks gathered on Utoya. The names of the 77 victims were read aloud, while flowers and wreaths were laid at the island's memorial site.

In 2012, Breivik was sentenced to 21 years in prison, the maximum allowed under Norwegian law at the time. The detention can be extended if he is still considered a threat to society.

People observe a moment of silence during a memorial event marking the 15th anniversary of the July 22, 2011 terror attacks on Utoya Island, Norway, July 22, 2026. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday warned of the growing threat of far-right radicalization among young people, saying social media, artificial intelligence and social isolation were fueling extremism, as the country marked the 15th anniversary of the July 22, 2011 terror attacks. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)

Representatives stand beside wreaths during a memorial event marking the 15th anniversary of the July 22, 2011 terror attacks on Utoya Island, Norway, July 22, 2026. Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store on Wednesday warned of the growing threat of far-right radicalization among young people, saying social media, artificial intelligence and social isolation were fueling extremism, as the country marked the 15th anniversary of the July 22, 2011 terror attacks. (Xinhua/Zhang Yuliang)