Some L.G.B.T.Q. people reacted with shock that such a shooting could happen in a country where gay people are widely accepted, safety is not seen as a major issue and rainbow flags are common in shops and restaurants. Norway, in 1993, was the second country in the world, behind Denmark, to allow same-sex registered partnerships, and same-sex marriage has been legal since 2009. The Norwegian government in April apologized on the 50th anniversary of the repeal of laws criminalizing sex between men.
On Saturday afternoon, Isack Tronaas, 17, delivered flowers to a memorial about a block away from the bar, where the police had cordoned off the area. He said that he had planned to attend the Pride parade, as he does every year, but he was not sure what he and other L.G.B.T.Q. people in the city would do instead this weekend.
“This is a really hard situation because things like this don’t happen often in Norway,” he said, in tears. “It’s a peaceful country, but people still hate each other. Why can’t people just love each other?”
Herman Ellegard, who said he had been celebrating Pride at a nearby bar, said that the attack had made him feel suddenly unsafe. “We only wish to celebrate love and diversity,” he said, adding that it was “gruesome that some want to ruin the celebration of freedom.”
Masud Gharahkhani, the speaker of Norway’s Parliament, condemned the shooting on his Facebook page. Mr. Gharahkhani, a Norwegian citizen of Iranian origin, said that the Parliament building had hoisted the Pride flag for the first time last Saturday to “celebrate diversity and love.”
“I am proud of that,” he said. “I have seen time after time how hate flourishes in social media when we celebrate queer diversity. That is sad and unacceptable.”
Henrik Pryser Libell reported from Oslo, and Mike Ives from Seoul. Julia Jacobs contributed reporting from Oslo.
