In one of the most terrible acts of terrorism in recent times, 93 people were killed in a bomb blast and cold-blooded shooting in Norway. Most of the people killed in the shooting were young delegates at a Labour Party camp.

In a display of knee-jerk Islamophobic prejudice, the terror attack was first branded by most of the media as perpetrated by a ’Muslim group.’ It has turned out, however, that the terrorist is in fact a young right-wing fanatic, who dressed up as a policeman and perpetrated the attack.

The terrorist claimed that the massacre was a statement against ’multiculturalism’ in Europe – a euphemism for hatred against immigrants, especially those of Muslim origin.

It must be recognised that the terrorist, Anders Behring Breivik, is not a lone madman. He is a product of the prevailing political climate of Europe, in which racism and Islamophobia are on the rise. It is significant that an Italian Parliamentarian, Mario Borghezio, from Italy’s Northern League party which is a junior partner in the Berlusconi Government of Italy, has said that “Some of the ideas he (the terrorist) expressed are good — barring the violence — some of them are great.”

This new face of terror in Europe is, in many ways, the mirror image of Hindutva terror in India. In fact, the Norway terrorist’s 1518-page ’Manifesto’ - ’2080: A European declaration of independence’ – spends 102 pages expressing admiration for Hindutva. Just like the Sangh Parivar rants against ’Mullahs and Marxists’, Breivik’s manifesto rants against ’cultural Marxists and Muslims.’ The manifesto applauds Hindu groups who “do not tolerate the current injustice and often riot and attack Muslims when things get out of control.” It recommends that the Hindutva followers opt for military training and organisation.

Breivik’s manifesto names the websites of the BJP, RSS, the National Volunteers’ Organisation, ABVP and VHP as resources, and promises military support “to the nationalists in the Indian civil war and in the deportation of all Muslims from India.”

The Norway horror is a warning that right-wing ideologies of racist/communal hate-mongering can produce terrorist killers. The gap between the ’respectable’ European parties which propagate anti-immigrant, anti-Muslim views, and between a terrorist Breivik, is very narrow. It is the former which create a fertile ground, and sows the seeds for terrorists like Breivik.

In our own country, the BJP and RSS try to distance themselves from the Abhinav Bharat variety of saffron terrorists. But in fact it is the BJP and RSS are organically linked to the saffron terrorists! The BJP-RSS also share the same ideological mind-space - of Islamophobia and anti-Left hatred – as the Norway terrorist. It is urgent that such ideologies be exposed and resisted all over the world.

CPI (ML) Liberation – India