Mass killer Breivik demands to be found sane and then set free

The self-styled anti-Muslim militant got the final word in the 10-week proceedings, but it is unclear whether it helped the main point of his defence: trying to prove that he is sane.

In a rambling statement, Breivik lashed out at everything he finds wrong with the world, from non-ethnic Norwegians representing the country in the Eurovision Song Contest to the sexually liberated lifestyle of the characters in the American TV show Sex and the City.

Incorporating current events into his statement, he claimed that fellow right-wing extremists were behind a small amount of explosives found outside a Swedish nuclear plant this week. Swedish police spokesman Tommy Nyman had no comment “especially not if he says it”.

While some of Breivik’s comments prompted laughter in the Oslo court, a serious atmosphere returned when he reiterated his motive for bombing the headquarters in Oslo, killing eight, and hunting down teenagers at the Labour Party’s youth camp.

Sixty-nine people were killed and dozens more injured in one of the worst peacetime shooting massacres by a single gunman.

“History shows that you have to commit a small barbarism to prevent a bigger barbarism,” the 33-year-old Norwegian said.

“The attacks on July 22 were preventive attacks to defend the indigenous Norwegian people,” he said. “I therefore demand to be acquitted.”

Breivik claims the governing Labour Party has betrayed the country by accepting Muslim immigrants and must be stopped before turning Norway into what he called a “multiculturalist hell.”

Defence lawyer Geir Lippestad had tried to prove his client is sane – the key issue to be resolved in the trial since Breivik admits the attacks.

Mr Lippestad also formally entered a plea for acquittal, but it was made out of principle, without any realistic chance of success.

Relatives of some of those killed tried to put their loss in words. Kirsti Loevlie, whose 30-year-old daughter Hanne was killed by the bomb, moved the court room to tears when she described the shock of finding out her daughter was dead, along with the grief of cleaning out her room and celebrating the first Christmas without her.

Still, Ms Loevlie said she felt a need to attend the trial, seeing Breivik in a position where he couldn’t hurt anyone any more.

“I am not going to be afraid of this man,” she said. “I decided I would go to court. I felt I owed it to Hanne.”

The court room burst out in applause and audible sobs.

Breivik remained motionless, his face blank.

Mr Lippestad tried to prove to the court that Breivik’s claims of being a resistance fighter in a struggle to protect Norway and Europe from being colonised by Muslims are not delusional, but part of a political view shared by other right-wing extremist.

“He realised that it is wrong to kill but he chose to kill. That’s what terrorists do,” Lippestad Mr said. “The ends justify the means. You don’t understand this if you don’t understand the culture of right-wing extremists.”

When Breivik talks about a civil war he’s not fantasising about tanks and soldiers in the forest, but referring to a low-intensity struggle he believes will last for 60 years, Lippestad said.

“None of us know what Europe will look like in 60 years,” Mr Lippestad said. “Who would have thought 10 years ago that a right-wing extremist party in Greece would get 10 per cent in the election now?”

Two teams of psychiatrists reached opposite conclusions about Breivik’s mental health. The first team diagnosed him with “paranoid schizophrenia” but the second team found him sane, saying he suffers from an anti-social and narcissistic personality disorder, but is not psychotic.

Prosecutors had called for an insanity ruling, saying there was enough doubt about Breivik’s mental state to preclude a prison sentence.