Oslo's anti-racism demonstration
Witness History
BBC
4.5 • 1.6K Ratings
🗓️ 18 March 2026
⏱️ 11 minutes
🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS
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Summary
On 1 February 2001, at least 30,000 people rallied in Oslo after the murder of 15-year-old Benjamin Hermansen by neo-Nazis.
It is thought to be Norway's first racially motivated killing.
News reports said the rally saw the largest crowd in Oslo since the liberation of Norway in 1945.
Benjamin's childhood friend, Luciana Parvaneh Zehi, tells Jen Dale about the march and the events leading up to it.
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(Picture: Demonstration in Oslo. Credit: Sveinung Ystad/Shutterstock)
Transcript
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| 0:42.9 | Hi, I'm Jen Dale, and this is Witness History from the BBC World Service. |
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| 1:14.1 | to the 1st of February 2001 when tens of thousands of people took to the streets of Oslo to show their anger |
| 1:21.5 | at what is considered Norway's first racially motivated murder. 30,000 people have taken part in a torchlit march in the Norwegian capital, Oslo, |
| 1:30.5 | to protest against the killing of a black teenager last week. |
| 1:33.9 | The country has been shocked by the murder of 15-year-old Benjamin Hermanson |
| 1:37.6 | in what appears to have been a racist attack. |
| 1:40.9 | Five neo-Nazis have been arrested. |
... |
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