To get inside the head of a madman and discern his thoughts is probably impossible. If Anders Behring is not insane, then he is probably one of those individuals who has an evil element to his character and suffers from delusion. After all, this fellow thought by blowing up unsuspecting civilians with a car bomb, then disguising himself in a police uniform to gain the trust of innocent children before opening fire on them; he would win the hearts and mind of his countrymen. He thought his actions would lead to a new crusade and shake Europe awake from its multiculturalism. To say he suffers from grandiosity would be an understatement.
Consider, for example, his wish to speak on his own behalf in court. He sees this as a chance to explain his actions and motives to his countrymen. It beckons Hitler’s propaganda strategy when he took the stand in Munich after the failed putsch. He was allowed to speak for himself when his trial started. He spoke for four hours on the ills of Germany, its destiny, and what would be needed to right the ship.
The army which we have formed grows from day to day; from hour to hour it grows more rapidly. EVEN NOW I HAVE THE PROUD HOPE THAT ONE DAY THE HOUR IS COMING WHEN THESE UNTRAINED BANDS WILL BECOME BATTALIONS, WHEN THE BATTALIONS WILL BECOME REGIMENTS AND THE REGIMENTS DIVISIONS, when the old cockade will be raised from the mire, when the old banners will once again wave before us: and then reconciliation will come in that eternal last Court of Judgment – the Court of God – before which we are ready to take our stand. Then from our bones, from our graves will sound the voice of that tribunal which alone has the right to sit in judgment upon us. For, gentlemen, it is not you who pronounce judgment upon us, it is the eternal Court of History which will make its pronouncement upon the charge which is brought against us. The judgment that you will pass, that I know. But that Court will not ask of us: ‘Have you committed high treason or not?’ That Court will judge us ….who as Germans have wished the best for their people and their Fatherland, who wished to fight and to die. You may declare us guilty a thousand times, but the Goddess who presides over the Eternal Court of History will with a smile tear in pieces the charge of the Public Prosecutor and the judgment of the Court: for she declares us guiltless. ~ A. Hitler., 1924
When he finished, he had won over the court and many Germans. Behring has no such chance. Taken in a snapshot of time, Hitler, by some, was considered a hero. Behring will be considered a cowardly murderer whose victims were unarmed civilians and innocent children. Not the Islamists who were supposedly the object of his hate.
He had a real beef with Islam — as most Westerners do. Behring, like many other Europeans, see it as an invading force that is superseding the history and culture of the nations in Europe. This isn’t something new. Earlier this year, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Germany’s Angela Merkel and France’s Nicolas Sarkozy all declared that multiculturalism in Europe has failed. This turnabout has been prophesied by critics of third world immigration since the earliest days after WWII when Europe decided to open its doors to North Africa and the Middle East (“Democracy Collapses in Europe: EU Cancels SIOA/SIOE Free Speech Rally“).
Undoubtedly his actions were vile. His systematic and callous approach is disturbing. Too, Behring’s actions are a symptom of a civilization upside down. Unsure of its self. Lost in a culture of nothingness. What happens when the next gunman or gunmen open up on Muslims and target Mosques? With the rise of reactionary parties who speak out against Muslim immigration and Islam, how long will it be before a full-blown culture clash explodes (“Europe Is Losing Its Soul” | Acton Institute)?
Europe has big problems that are not likely to go away. Islam’s supremacist tendencies and an unchecked immigration system, where immigrants refuse to assimilate, are creating a powder keg and we are seeing its byproduct (“Europe’s Angy Muslims” | Foreign Affairs).
Norway massacre exposes incendiary immigration issue
In some Nordic countries, and elsewhere in Europe, political parties have fed on rising public concern over immigration as economic conditions worsen and a drip-feed of Islamist attacks stokes fear and suspicion of new arrivals.
But experts argue overly aggressive political rhetoric and scare tactics have inflamed passions rather than address the many complex, underlying problems.
Conflicting messages and political squeamishness in tackling immigration and multiculturalism have frustrated the public and given space for hardline ideologues, they say.