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Norway terrorist attacks scar Scandinavia,
Denmark increases security for politicians
Peter Gallagher
International Correspondent
COPENHAGEN, DENMARK—The tragic
events that occurred in Oslo, Norway,
and on the island of Utoya July 22 may
be distant memory to many in the United
States, but they remain at the forefront of
the minds and hearts of Norwegians and
the people of Scandinavia in general.
The attacks left 77 dead and many
more injured after a car bomb exploded
outside a government building and
Anders Behring Breivik, a Norway native
went on a shooting rampage aimed at
teenagers attending the Norwegian Labor
Party’s annual youth summer camp.
Like the post-Sept. 11 United States,
Norway, Denmark and the other
Scandinavian countries have been forced
to deal with 21st century terrorism and
the ramifications terrorist attacks can
have on a culture and a society as a whole.
Jesper Lohmann, an instructor at
the Danish Institute for Study Abroad
who teaches a class called Terrorism
and Counter-Terrorism in International
Politics, said there is a great chance of an
attack happening in Denmark very soon.
“Before the attacks in Norway, Danes
and all Scandinavians were expecting
an attack to take place in Copenhagen,
Denmark," Lohmann said.
Fears of attack emerged following the
controversial publication of 12 editorial
cartoons in the Danish newspaper
Jyllands-Posten, where the Prophet
Muhammad was negatively portrayed in
2005.
But not all Danes are worried of
an impending terrorist attack. Simon
Ellingsen, who works at a publishing
company in Copenhagen, says that
worrying is needless.
“Life is too short to be living in fear of
when or where the next terrorist attack
will be,” he said. “I’m not going to worry
about or change the way I live out of fear
or terrorism.”
But even if not all Danes are concerned,
the Danish government is not taking
any chances and has been increasing its
security the past few months.
Prior to the attacks, few Norwegian or
Danish political figures had permanent
bodyguards and security. The two
countries pride themselves on this aspect
of their culture and believe that openness
between the citizens and politicians
results in a more equal and peaceful
society. But because of the attacks and
lOth anniversary of Sept. 11, security has
been stepped up for government officials
and politicians.
“In the long-term, politicians will
no longer be able to walk the streets so
freely,” Lohmann said.
Bettina Vang, a Danish mother of
twin boys, said she believes that the
Danish lack of security for politicians and
citizens is a naive way to live in today’s
day and age, and that security must be
increased.
“I would never place my children in a
situation like on the island of Utoya, where
there were close to 600 young people and
so few police and safety measures,” she
said. “I hope Denmark can learn from the
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COURTESY MCTCAMPUS.COM
Anders Behring Breivik’s temjrist attacks in Oslo were previously unprecedented in Norway. He later revealed long-term
planning and a manifesto years In the making. Since the attacks, Norway has pledged to maintain its open society.
it rejects the idea of multiculturalism in
Denmark.
Norway attack to increase our security
measures.”
Scandinavian responses to the Norway
attacks have been markedly different.
While Norwegians have re-stated their
firm beliefs that openness and more
democracy are the answer to public
hatred and atrocities, many Danes have
used these attacks to push for stricter
immigration laws. The Danish People’s
Party, which is the right-wing populist
party, has stated that Denmark is not
naturally a country of immigration, and
Christopher Keller, a student in
Denmark, holds a contrasting view on
immigration. Keller’s parents are of
Danish and Japanese decent, which he
said has helped him understand the
importance of accepting immigration and
living in an open and accepting society.
“1 feel Denmark should be a country
that welcomes immigration and offers
others a culture to be a part of and join,"
he said.
In Europe, American Mastercard doesn’t work for ‘everything else’
Kristen Olsen
International Correspondent
DUBLIN—Whenever someone hands
over a credit card to a cashier, they
normally hear “debit or credit?" But what
Americans have lately been hearing in
Dublin is, “I’m sorry, we cannot accept
that.”
Recently in Ireland, as well as in many
other countries in the European Union,
credit card companies have put a Chip
and PIN on their cards to help protect
against fraud. But for Americans, this
has become a hassle because many
European stores won’t accept cards that
do not have a chip.
International student Amanda Taylor,
a senior from Winthrop University
in South Carolina who is studying in
Dublin, had no access to money for her
first few days in-country.
“My account got frozen, so I had no
Euros for five days,” Taylor said. “I had
to go from store to store until I found
someone who would swipe my card.”
The Chip and PIN is a type of credit
card that has a metal chip on the card
with account information, which is used
to read a customer’s personal PIN to pay
for purchases.
The cards were first introduced in
the UK in 2004 and made their way to
Ireland in 2007. Most European Union
countries have this style of credit cards,
and all will be converted to using it by
the end of this year.
Seamus Graham, an employee for the
Dublin convenience store Centra, is one
of the many European workers who will
not swipe cards without the chip.
“If a card doesn’t have a chip, then
its information can easily be stolen,"
he said. “We want to protect our
customers.”
Study abroad student Sara Kobus,
from Shippensburg University in
Pennsylvania, said she feels that she
could have been better prepared for this
inconvenience.
“I would tell other long-term students
to open up a bank in the country they
are living in, and bring enough Euros,"
Kobus said. “I plan on going to the ATM
every week.”
Most American students have had
to take out and use more cash than
they were originally planning on using,
or consider opening a foreign bank
account in their host country.
“This experience has been very eye-
opening, not being able to have access to
my funds,” Taylor said. “I have become
much more aware of my budget.”
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Last week’s issue of The Pendulum did not have an International
section because of spatial constraints from our Sept. 11 coverage.
Check online throughout this week for additional international
coverage. This week, read our correspondents’ experiences as they
reflected on the Sept. 11 attacks from foreign countries.
I ^
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L jM
Chelsea Vollrath
BEIJING-On
the evening of
Sept. II, 1 made
a point of going
to the Catholic
mass held in the
basement of my
dorm building
to commemorate
"" " the lives lost 10
years ago and
pray for the families affected.
There was a common feeling
of solemnity when I walked in the
room, which was only exacerbated
by the priest's homily later on
in the service. He spoke of the
violence and terrorism that
plagues the world and then began
to address the events of Sept. II
specifically. In an open forum,
he asked us to share where we
were and how we felt when we
heard of the attacks. There were
a lot of international students
present at the mass, and it was
very interesting to hear their
perspective on the event.
Although I wouldn’t assume that
they wouldn't have been affected
in any way, I was surprised to hear
how many people had still lost
someone they knew and how their
families had been impacted.
This world is more connected
than I had ever realized: the global
community often discussed at Elon
really does exist.
n
LOGAN
Carlton Logan
BARCELONA,
SPAIN-While
most of
you spent
last Sunday
commemorating
the lOth
anniversary
of the World
Trade Center
attacks in New York City, here
in Barcelona another event was
being commemorated in a slightly
different fashion. The region of
Catalonia celebrated its National
Day, which recognizes the 1714
Siege of Barcelona defeat during
the Spanish Succession.
In a city that seems to come
alive at night and can party like
noother, this past Sunday in
Barcelona was nothing short of
electric. As I sat down for dinner
with my new Catalan family,
we conversed in their tongue
about some of the events of
their National Day. Amongst the
loud music and streets flooded
with Catalonians of all different
backgrounds there were speeches,
ceremonies, performances, and
parties of every kind. Markets of
all kinds were in full force and
various local events took place. In
virtually every square, plaza or
park you could see the national
Catalan flag and an abundance
of Barcelona natives, tourists and
visitors. The noise of celebration
began at sunrise and ended well
after sunset.
We all remember where we were
on the day of the Sept. 11 attacks.
I, for example, remember my dad
telling me when the World Trade
Center had been attacked. He was
picking me up from school but
I was too young to know what it
meant, and I was living in Jamaica
at the time. But it is Interesting to
note how differently another group
can view a day such as Sept. 11-
The two sentiments were at almos
opposite ends of the spectrum i
I was puzzled to be present in a
country where this day brought
about the highest of pride, while
knowing all along the mourning
and
back home. I leave with a sense
of remembrance for the victims
of
Sept. 11 and an appreciation
Catalan culture.
of the