– It’s fantastically delicious, it also feels extra important this year, not least because we know what happened yesterday. This is what Culture and Equality Minister Anette Trettebergstuen (Ap) tells news about opening the Rainbow Days in Bergen. On Thursday this week, it became known that Save the Children canceled a pride festival for children, after receiving threats on social media. One threat has been reported to the police, and is being investigated. One person has the status of a suspect. – This shows how important it is that we celebrate pride, and continue to fight for everyone to be allowed to be themselves. And that’s not a given – yesterday showed that, says Trettebergstuen. The event, which was originally supposed to be in Nygårdsparken, was moved indoors to a hotel. Culture Minister Anette Trettebergstuen (Ap) was in Bergen to open the event. Photo: Linnea Skare Oskarsen / news – Unbelievably important – Such events as the Rainbow Days in Bergen are unbelievably important. After we were exposed to terror last year, our unity is under attack, and that unity is the most important thing we have. That’s what Espen Aleksander Evjenth says, who is the leader of the support group after the 25 June terror attack in Oslo a year ago. He is one of those who was shot. – We are pleased that PST has made a special threat assessment. It shows the seriousness of the situation after the terror attack in June last year. Espen Aleksander Evjenth believes that support from society is the most important security. Photo: Privat He therefore expects the police to now do everything they can to protect queer events. What he believes is the real security, however, is support from society. – The most important thing is that society surrounds queers. It is now almost a year since the terror attack in Oslo, and there are many people who know that it is extra tough to be different. It is crucial that we take care of each other in the future, says Evjenth. Trettebergstuen also highlights this as important to do. – We can all look around and make sure that we support each other and show that we are all equally valuable and that everyone should be allowed to be themselves, she says. Owl (tv), chairman Mona Frank in Regnbuedagene, and Mapplethorpe enjoyed pride in Bergen on Friday afternoon. Photo: Linnea Skare Oskarsen / news Fears cancellations Evjenth fears the ripple effects of such cancellations as happened in Bergen, and is afraid that it could cause someone to suffer. – So that they think they will be successful in canceling more of our events, he says. The leader of FRI in Vestland, Torgeir Toppe, admits that the Oslo terror marked the start of the Rainbow Days in Bergen. – But we cannot let terror win. We have to fight and stand up all the time, he says. After the cancellation yesterday, he felt a small loss. – That in a way they threatened us into silence. We can’t live with that, it’s not what we deserve, he says. Torgeir Toppe Photo: Leif Rune Løland / news Feeling safe On Friday, Monica Sydgård in Save the Children says that they are responsible for the cancellation. – We still feel very confident that it was the right decision on our part. There had been serious threats that individuals would stand up and harass or commit violence, she says. Sydgård emphasizes that they trust the police professional assessments that have been made, but that they had to make some child professional assessments on an independent basis.
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– This shows how important it is that we mark pride – news Vestland
