Murder of Benjamin Hermansen
Benjamin Hermansen was a Norwegian youth whose father was born in Ghana; his mother was Norwegian. He was stabbed to death at Holmlia in Oslo, Norway, just before midnight on 26 January 2001 by members of the neo-Nazi group Boot Boys. Joe Erling Jahr and Ole Nicolai Kvisler were convicted of the murder and sentenced to 16 and 15 years in prison respectively. A third defendant, Veronica Andreassen, was convicted on a lesser charge of abetting bodily harm causing death and sentenced to three years in prison.
The murder was treated as a racially motivated attack, while other terrorism experts have seen it as a politically motivated attack, citing right-wing extremism.Response to the murder
Since the murder was motivated by right-wing extremism, xenophobia and racism, it mobilised parts of the Norwegian population, mainly in the capital Oslo. Throughout the entire country, marches were organised to protest against the murder, with nearly 40,000 people participating in Oslo."Song to Benjamin"
Hermansen was buried on 6 February 2001. "Song to Benjamin", written by several of his friends for the service, was presented at his funeral. The song was later recorded in studio by artists including Noora Noor and Briskeby.In 2003, the Benjamin Prize was founded in Hermansen's memory. It is awarded on 27 January every year.Michael Jackson's ''Invincible''
American singer Michael Jackson dedicated his 2001 album Invincible to Benjamin Hermansen. The reason for this has partly to do with the fact that the artist and dancer Omer Bhatti from Holmlia and Jackson were close friends, and Bhatti was at the same time a good friend of Benjamin Hermansen. On the album cover, next to the image of a rose, it reads:Perpetrators
After their release from prison, Kvisler resumed his activities in the neo-Nazi community mostly online, while Jahr apologised for the murder and said it was an attack that accidentally ended up fatal.Appeals
Kvisler and Jahr appealed the sentence to the Court of Appeal and had the sentence increased by an additional two years. The appeal to the Supreme Court was rejected. The sentences of 17 and 18 years for Kvisler and Jahr, were upheld.Ole Nicolai Kvisler
Ole Nicolai Kvisler is a Norwegian convicted murderer and former member of the Boot Boys who received a 15-year prison sentence for his role in the right-wing extremist and racially motivated murder of Hermansen on 26 January 2001. In the criminal case, Kvisler was counseled by attorney Geir Lippestad, who would later defend the terrorist and mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik for the 2011 Norway attacks.