Benjamin Hermansen
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Benjamin Hermansen (May 29, 1985 – January 26, 2001) was a Norwegian boy with an African father and Norwegian mother. He was stabbed to death at Holmlia in Oslo, Norway, just before midnight on January 26, 2001 by people from the Neo-nazi group BootBoys. Joe Erling Jahr, Ole Nicolai Kvisler and Veronica Andreassen were convicted of the murder and sentenced to 18, 17, and 3 years in prison respectively.
Since the murder was motivated by racism, it mobilised large parts of the Norwegian population. Throughout the entire country, marches were organised to protest against the murder, with nearly 40,000 people participating in Oslo.[1]
In 2002, the Benjamin Prize was founded in Hermansen's memory. It is awarded on January 27 every year, which coincides with the day the Soviet forces liberated the concentration camps of Auschwitz and Birkenau.
Hermansen was buried on February 6, 2001. Song to Benjamin, written by several of his friends for the service, was presented at his funeral.[2] The song was later recorded in studio by artists like Nora Noor and Briskeby.
[edit] References
- This article was initially translated from the Wikipedia article Benjamin Hermansen, specifically from this version.
