Eskil Pedersen

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On 22 July, the day of the 2011 Norway attacks, Eskil Pedersen was present at the annual AUF summer camp on Utøya. As leader of the organization he was one of the assailant, Anders Behring Breivik's, stated targets, along with former prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland, who was there that day but had left the island before the killer arrived. Breivik would later state that he had studied Pedersen's physical appearance and facial attributes to be able to recognize him during the attack. [6]

Very soon after the shooting erupted, Pedersen, along with his political aide, sought refuge on the ferry MS Thorbjørn, and along with seven other people decided to make their escape from the island. [28] Pedersen later stated that while being at the Hønefoss police headquarters he feared a coup d'etat had taken place, and that he could not trust any member of the police. In an interview with TV2 he stated: "I thought the entire country was under attack [...] if we docked anywhere we would be killed." [29]

M/S Thorbjørn controversy

There has been widespread speculation in forums and independent blogs about the conduct on the ferry, but most professional media outlets have been cautious in their coverage of the events on the MS Thorbjørn. [28] A news website, Nettavisen , published a story raising questions about the conduct a day after the massacre, but received fierce reactions from other members of the press as well as the AUF itself. [30]

In 2012, Adrian Pracon, a survivor and employee of AUF who himself was wounded, wrote of his reaction to seeing the ferry leave in a book describing his ordeal. One section describes his disbelief and disappointment of seeing M/S Thorbjørn head away from the island, depriving him of hope of escape. [31] The 22-year-old from Telemark (Pracon) later underscored that the passage in the book was not intended as criticism of Eskil Pedersen or the crew of M/S Thorbjørn. [32]

Another survivor of the massacre, 20-year-old Bjørn Ihler from Oslo, said of Pedersen in an interview with the BBC: "This was the leader of the group, it was as if the Captain abandoned his ship"., [32] but later stated that his quotes were part of a broader context, and that he had described his feelings of being abandoned, more than criticising the actions. [33] [34] Pedersen defended his actions in the same programme, stating: "I think I acted normally given the situation. I acted according to instinct. I did what I was told and boarded the boat" and countered "I have been criticized for my actions, and for my views on the multicultural society by people who support the gunman's views". [35]

The movements of MS Thorbjørn were subject to investigation as a part of the broader inquiry into the attacks by the official July 22 Commission. [36] In the Gjørv Report, the police received harsh criticism for failing to utilize the ferry early in the rescue effort. The report states that when contacting the police immediately after leaving Utøya both the captain and other passengers received instructions to flee to safety. [37]

The controversy flared up again in September 2012 due to comments by Brynjar Meling, a high-profile lawyer in the case whose office represents a few dozen of the affected, both AUF-members and relatives of the deceased. He claimed some of his clients questioned Pedersen's leadership of the organization but felt unable to communicate this publicly. [38] Furthermore, Meling claimed that his clients felt that Pedersen's actions during the massacre should have consequences for his future career, and that they were frustrated by the AUF leadership's insistence that the organization as a whole was united behind Pedersen. [39]

The comments immediately caused a fiery reaction from the AUF as well as the Labour party. [40] Secretary-General of the Labour Party Raymond Johansen responded to Meling saying he felt "nauseated and furious" at him; other politicians used more profane expressions. [41] Meling responded by accusing Johansen and the Labour party of attempting to stifle the debate as well as depriving the survivors of the opportunity to ask critical questions. [42] Leaders of rival parties subsequently defended Pedersen, calling the criticism "tasteless". [43] A former senior member of the Labour party and AUF who lost her younger sister in the massacre described how she was prevented from raising questions within the party regarding the incident. She claimed that: "MS Thorbjørn and Eskil Pedersen were not to be discussed, it was completely taboo". She since left the party altogether in protest. [44]

Refurbishing of Utøya

In September 2012, a mother who lost her son during the Utøya massacre asked Pedersen to resign as AUF leader, citing that the plans for refurbishing Utøya "once more shows that he is not an adequate leader". [45] The $10.4 million refurbishing plans have been criticized by several leading Norwegian psychiatrists. [46] One survivor of the massacre called the plans "Shocking and inhuman". In addition, other survivors and relatives have expressed frustration and that they find it difficult that AUF would be resuming its summer-camp and political activity on that site, with one mother who lost her daughter proclaiming: "one does not hold a barbecue on a graveyard". [47] [48]

Pedersen stated that despite some opposition the refurbishing plans had wide support within the AUF. The leader of the national July 22 victims group said the plans "looked good". However, on 25 September some 200 survivors and relatives of the deceased signed a petition calling for the plans to be scrapped and for a national memorial to be established on the island. [49] The following day, the local authorities ordered the plans to be halted pending further consultation with the victims and relatives. [50]

Personal life

Pedersen currently lives and works in Oslo. [14] After resigning from AUF, he became the new Information Director for the agricultural cooperative Nortura. [51] [52]

Due to receiving an increased number of threats on SMS, Facebook, phone and in writing, Pedersen currently has a direct Police security alarm. [53] In December 2012, a 40-year-old man was convicted of sending threatening text messages to Eskil Pedersen. He was fined the equivalent of approximately US$700, and given a suspended prison sentence. [54] A Christian, Pedersen is a member of the Church of Norway. [27]

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References

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Eskil Pedersen
Eskil Pedersen.jpg
Pedersen in 2011
Leader of the Workers' Youth League
In office
17 October 2010 19 October 2014
Party political offices
Preceded by Leader of the Workers' Youth League
20102014
Succeeded by