On Saturday, thousands of people are expected in the streets of Oslo to participate in the postponed pride marking in Oslo. Security measures around the event have been tightened after the train was canceled this summer following the mass shooting in central Oslo on the night of 25 June. One of the pubs they were shot at was the London Pub, which is a well-known gay pub. After the attack, PST said that they thought queers were the target, and that homosexuals may be more exposed to terror in the future. The threat level in Norway is still high in Norway, and is now at level four, says assistant head of PST, Hedvig Moe, to news. – For us, this means that we believe there are several actors who have both the ability and the will to carry out terror. Environment supports the mass shooting An important reason why many events were canceled this summer was that the situation was unclear. PST is still worried about the threat picture in Norway, but they have a better overview. During the summer, they have, among other things, registered that there are groups that support what the mass shooter did this summer. – We have seen both on the extreme right and among extreme Islamists that there are people and the environment that have been inspired and have come with support. This is an important reason why we are still at level four, says Moe. Assistant PST manager Hedvig Moe. Photo: Olav Døvik / news It is the police in Oslo who decide whether it is safe to hold an event. PST has shared all the relevant information they have, so that the police will have as good a basis for a decision as possible. – They are the ones who have the best picture to assess whether an event can be carried out, and whether security measures need to be intensified if necessary. The police have good experience of doing this, even with such a high threat level as we have today. Measures have been put in place According to the organisers, there may be 100,000 people on the rainbow train which will pass through the streets of Oslo. In addition, the police expect that there will be many people who will follow along from the pavement or who will join the solidarity marking on Kontraskjæret afterwards. Chief of Staff Harald Nilssen in the Oslo police district says that together with the organizers and Oslo municipality, they have tried to make the event as safe as possible. Among other things, there will be a lot of visible police in the streets. Chief of Staff Harald Nilssen in the Oslo police district. Photo: Kristoffer Steffensen Lenes / news The reason why it is safer to carry out now than this summer is that they have had more time, says Nilssen. – We have been able to plan to introduce the measures we think are sensible. And that has meant that we believe it can be carried out within the framework we have today. May change Even though the green light has now been given for rainbow trains through the streets of Oslo on Saturday, this could change if the threat picture were to change. The police in Oslo are in close contact with PST to assess the situation. – We have to assess this continuously. Information may still come in or situations may arise which mean that we have to introduce other measures or come up with other advice about the implementation of the event, says Nilssen. The police in Oslo have raised the rainbow flag outside the police station. Photo: Olav Døvik / news At the same time, it is important for the police that there will be trains this time, after the cancellations this summer. – The rules of the game in democracy are that you must be able to express yourself and that you can show diversity in the capital. This is very important, and the police have put in a lot of resources to make it possible to carry it out.
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PST is worried before pride marking in Oslo – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
