40K Norwegians Sing Song Breivik Can't Stand

Anders Behring Breivik hates the Norwegian song "Children of the Rainbow"; he says it's a Marxist anthem. So 40,000 Norwegians, inspired by an Internet campaign, gathered in rainy Oslo today to belt out the tune near the courthouse where Breivik is being tried, AFP reports. The brightly-clad protesters carried Norwegian flags and roses symbolizing peace in the wake of Breivik's massacre. Among the singers were culture ministers from several Nordic countries, as well as schoolkids and the songwriter himself, Lillebjoern Nilsen, who directed the performance.

Following the song, the protesters piled memorial flowers in front of the courthouse. In court, Breivik last week called Nilsen a "Marxist" involved in the "brainwashing of Norwegian pupils." That prompted a Facebook campaign to "reclaim the song." The lyrics of the tune, inspired by Pete Seeger's "My Rainbow Race," go: "Together, we will live, each sister and each brother, small children of the rainbow and a green earth." (More Norway stories.)