Oslo fatal shooting angers Kurdish community in Norway

OSLO, Norway - Kurds in Norway condemned Saturday’s fatal shooting in Oslo’s nightlife district that killed two people and left more than 20 dead in what Norwegian security services labeled as an “Islamist terror act.” 

In the morning hours of Saturday on Oslo’s Rosenkrantz Street, a man wearing a yellow t-shirt opened fire near the popular LGBT+ bar London Pub in the Norwegian capital, killing two and injuring dozens others. 

The shooter was arrested shortly after and identified as 43-year-old Zaniar Matapour, a Norwegian citizen originally from Iran’s western Kurdish Region, also referred to as Rojhelat.

Born in the city of Sina, Matapour and his family migrated to Pakistan in the late 1980s where they sought asylum through a United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) program that sent them to Norway. 

“Zaniar’s [Matapour] family is known in Sina for being virtuous and unproblematic. He and his siblings studied in Norway and have graduated from engineering and medical universities. Zaniar’s father was like-minded with one of the parties in Rojhelat [western Iran], but did not actively join the organizations,” a Kurdish resident in Oslo, who preferred to remain anonymous, told Rudaw earlier this week.

Soon after Matapour was arrested, the police stated that the attack had a “radical Islamic” background with a history of mental illness. 

The incident angered Kurds in Norway. 

“As a human being, I condemn it, and as Kurd, I condemn it as well,” said Hoshang Younisi, a Norwegian resident from western Iran. 

“What can make things easier for Kurds … is an organization which is separated from all personal opinions and announces a shared national and humanitarian stance towards those who have violated the liberties of others at times like this,” he added. 

Masoud Nasiri, the spokesperson of the Kurdish diaspora center in Norway, stated that Kurds in Norway in general “oppose” the attack, adding that they have attempted to demonstrate to the Norwegian community that Kurds have long struggled against terror and tyranny and fought for democratic values.

There are an estimated 25,000 to 30,000 Kurds in Norway, most fleeing their homes because of war or political instability.

The suspect has a criminal record with Oslo’s security and has been previously arrested for cases of narcotics and violence, and once jailed for a period of nearly three months.

“According to the investigations, the suspect will be convicted. But it is still not confirmed whether this case will be treated in accordance with terror law or another law,” said Sayran Ahmad, a criminal lawyer in Norway.

London Pub, a highly coveted spot in the Norwegian capital where acquiring reservations is extremely challenging, has been a hub of Oslo’s LGBT+ community since the late 1970s. A mural in the pub’s basement reads: “The main headquarters of gay men since 1979.”

“We will open up the pub again as to say that hatred and grudge cannot stop us,” said the proprietor of the pub, who preferred to be simply referred to as Owner of London.