A case involving a brutal assault caught on video in Norway has sparked debate in the neighboring country. Initially, the focus was on the media’s misleading coverage of the case, and now, after the widespread attention, the spotlight has shifted to how sorry we should feel for the perpetrators, causing outrage.

It was on Sunday that Norway’s Bergensavisen reported on several violent incidents at Burger King in central Bergen on May 17, Norway’s National Day. One of the incidents involved a 17-year-old boy who was severely beaten by several individuals. According to police reports, the boy sustained facial injuries from the assault, and the perpetrators left the scene before the police arrived.

Bergensavisen had a video of the attack which they published on their Facebook page. Many reacted to the video showing something very different from the impression given by the newspaper’s reporting. The footage clearly shows four foreign men attacking a white man in central Bergen—something not mentioned at all. The video was later taken down.

SEE ALSO: Media Covers Up Immigrant Violence on National Day – Video Removed

In the wake of the attention around the case, Norwegian media have now shifted focus to lament allegations of threats and “racist comments” against the suspected perpetrators. At the same time, the police claim to be doing everything they can to catch those outraged by the brutal violence and who wrote something “inappropriate.” 

“Minor boy recounts death threats against him and his family after the violence video,” blasts Norway’s public broadcaster NRK. Police attorney Linn Marie Søfteland confirms to the channel that police are aware the suspects in the case have been threatened.

– I have noted that there have been some racist statements in the comments section, she tells NRK.

Søfteland says she understands that people react to the violence but emphasizes that “hate speech” is a criminal offense:

– You can say a lot under freedom of expression, but there is a limit. We cannot rule out that we will initiate criminal proceedings for the threats.

Two Identified

On Thursday, police stated they have identified two of the suspects in the case and expect to soon learn the identities of the remaining individuals.

On Thursday evening, police in Bergen questioned one of the suspects. The boy’s defense lawyer, Jørgen Riple, reacts strongly to the uncensored videos of the event being spread on social media. He claims this has contributed to the threats.

– My client is a minor boy who is in no way part of a gang. A boy who has not been involved in similar incidents before and who has not slept since May 17 out of fear for his own and his family’s safety.

Unprovoked Attack

The victim is a Russian boy who, through his lawyer Malene Lillebostad Svendsen, reports that the attack was unprovoked, something the perpetrators claim is not true.

“For him, the event is incomprehensible. He has never met the involved perpetrators before, and they are complete strangers to him. The victim perceives the incident as brutal, and it has deeply affected him. He is having a hard time and is on sick leave,” she writes in an email to Bergens Tidene.

In 2024, an allegedly racist-motivated attack against Hamse Ali in Bergen was prominently featured by the same media. Back then, they had no problem uncritically relaying the claims. It later emerged that Hamse Ali’s claims were false.

SEE ALSO: Outrage after Racist Attack – Was Fake