White Supremacy Mass Killer Anders Breivik Gives Nazi Salute At Parole Hearing
Norwegian mass killer Anders Breivik has used his first parole hearing to profess his white supremacist views and give nazi salutes.
Anders Breivik, the Norwegian far-right terrorist who killed 77 people at a youth camp in 2011, has used his parole hearing to double down on his white supremacy beliefs and give a Nazi salute.
He was convicted in 2012 of mass murder, causing a fatal explosion, and terrorism after launching an attack at a summer camp for left-wing youth activists.
Under Norwegian law, Breivik is serving the maximum 21-year sentence for also setting off a bomb in Oslo's government district.
But, after passing his non-parole period of 10 years in jail, he's made a bid for freedom.
At his first parole hearing, Breivik told a judge he has renounced violence since his attack but professed he still maintains his white supremacist views.
To really drive the latter home, he performed a Nazi salute while wearing a sign that echoed his political comments.
To a prosecutor who asked the purpose of his messages, he said they were aimed at the millions of people who 'support white power'.
He will continue to be eligible for parole every year, however experts believe it is very unlikely he will be released early.
Breivik is currently being held in a high-security prison in Skien, south of Oslo, in isolation across three cells.
In previous court hearings, Breivik has aired his beliefs that there are ongoing conspiracies supporting genocide against white people in the West.
There have been concerns that the public nature of his trials and the comments at them will inspire copycat events, but there has been support for him to be treated like any other prisoner to ensure the legal system is not undermined.
Kristin Bergtora Sandvik, a law professor at Oslo University, said Breivik was pushing the boundaries in Tuesday's hearing.
"At the same time, it's fairly clear that the prosecutor has a very clear strategy here," she said.
"By letting him speak ... he gets his very incoherent message out in the open."
His bid for parole rests heavily on him being able to declare that he's no long a threat to the community.
In a monologue to the court, Breivik said there is a distinction between militant and non-militant white nationalists and claimed to have been brainwashed by militants before committing his crimes.
"Today, I strongly dissociate myself from violence and terror," he said. "I hereby give you my word of honour that this is behind me forever."
In response, a prosecutor read the names of each of Breivik's 77 victims, many of them teenagers.
Breivik's attack was the deadliest in Norway since World War II.
The mass shooting lasted for over an hour and a half and during it, Breivik actively pursued people who were trying to escape by swimming away from the island and shot some victims multiple times to ensure they didn't survive.
During his criminal trial, Breivik said he had targeted the camp as the attendees embraced multiculturalism and said he regretted not killing more.
The hearing will continue until Thursday and a ruling will be released later this month.
Featured Image Credit: NTB Scanpix / Alamy Stock PhotoTopics: News, Norway, anders breivik
Hannah Blackiston