“These occasions are more important than ever,” said the President of the Storting in her speech during the digital event at Akershus Fortress. She emphasized that Liberation Day and Veterans Day make 8^th May a national day of memorial and tribute; one which we must use to honour and thank all those who fought for our freedom, and to remind ourselves of the values on which we build our society and way of life.

“For Norway, Liberation Day is an important link in our narrative about the return of democracy and democratic ideals, which are always important to fight for and build on. These ideals also lay the foundations for our duty to look up and beyond our own borders. On Veterans Day, we stand together to honour all the Norwegian women and men who are taking part or have taken part in international operations for peace and reconciliation,” continued Ms. Trøen.

Read the speech here (Norwegian only).

Never again 9th April

In her speech, Anniken Huitfeldt stressed how important it is for us to build a strong defence so that we never again experience a day like 9^th April 1940. Yet we must also defend ourselves and stand up against hate speech directed at others – the same hate that laid the foundations for persecution, the genocide of Jews, and efforts to exterminate other minorities during World War II. Extremism does not just happen in a vacuum.

“Combatting extremism and terror has also been the reason why in recent years Norwegian soldiers have taken part in international operations in such countries as Afghanistan, Iraq and Mali. Today we remember with deep respect all those who have given their lives in international operations,” Ms. Huitfeldt said in her speech.

Read the speech here (Norwegian only).