Oslo Locks Down as Obama Arrives amid Peace Protests

Oslo. Military choppers swarmed over Oslo and snipers stood guard on rooftops on Thursday as Norway staged what was the biggest security operation in its history for Nobel Peace Prize winner Barack Obama.

Anti-aircraft missiles were deployed near the airport and around Oslo, manhole covers were sealed and up to 2,500 police were on hand to protect Obama as demonstrators protested against a president who was receiving the world’s most prestigious peace accolade while waging two wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Despite barricades along the city’s main avenues and the imposing measures, Oslo was calm, with shops open, residents quietly going about their business on the streets and a few skaters taking advantage a warm day.

Not far from the Grand Hotel where Obama was to be staying on Thursday night after the prize ceremony and dinner, a group of demonstrators protested against Obama.

“We’re not satisfied until he’s ratified,” they chanted, referring to their hope that Obama would sign the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. The group, made up mostly of teenagers, handed out flyers stating only two UN member countries had not signed the convention: the United States and Somalia.

“Obama: you won it, now earn it,” read black writing on yellow signs held by Greenpeace protesters standing nearby. “We are here to remind Obama of the responsibility that comes with the Peace Prize,” said a Greenpeace activist, Sven Malmgre.

“We are here to push him on the climate issue, which we think is a big part of the Peace Prize,” he added, leading a small group of protesters under light rain toward Oslo City Hall, where the prize ceremony was held. There, 12 people took part in a mock nativity scene to protest US military expansion.

“He doesn’t deserve the Nobel Peace Prize until he does something real for peace,” said 24-year-old Luca Scapellato, part of a group of 20 activists who traveled from Italy to protest a US military base being built near Venice.

But a few hours before Obama received the prestigious award, what was most noticeable outside Oslo City Hall were the hordes of children on the square between the imposing building and the quiet waterfront. The nongovernmental organisation Save the Children had put on a show for around 3,000 Oslo schoolchildren early Thursday.

“We are here to celebrate Obama,” said Hilde Amundroed, a teacher who was leading a group of youngsters back to class.

Agence France-Presse

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