In Oslo, Anders Breivik opened his trial on 77 counts of murder in much the manner he has conducted himself since he perpetrated the massacre on Utoya Island last year -- by claiming responsibility for the acts, while refusing to acknowledge guilt, arguing that he was acting in "self-defence". He further refused to acknowledge the legitimacy of the court, arguing that it was constituted by the multicultural parties who were selling out Norway.
Though the trial has only just started, it has already created something of a judicial crisis in Norway. Following the horrifying massacre, and Breivik's brazen confession of his guilt, there was concern that the Norwegian justice system simply wasn't up to the task of dealing with such evil. Norway has a 21-year maximum sentence for all crimes, the result of a quiet, rural fishing nation subsequently transformed into a peaceful social democracy.
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