Not everyone was celebrating when officials in Oslo decided to liberalize rules for serving alcohol on the 17th of May, Norway’s Constitution Day and one of the biggest public holidays of the year. Bars and restaurants will be able to start pouring drinks in Oslo from 8am this year.
“There’s already more than enough public intoxication on the 17th of May,” editorialized newspaper Aftenposten after Oslo officials decided to loosen their earlier ban on serving alcohol before noon on Sundays and holidays. The city’s Conservatives-led majority justified the decision to exempt the 17th of May on the grounds it could actually reduce intoxification, by moving traditional breakfast parties from private parties at home to licensed establishments that are charged with maintaining order by limiting consumption.
Many were delighted, claiming they looked forward to a glass of champagne at a restaurant on the morning of the 17th of May. Others were firmly opposed, fearing there will be more intoxication around the annual children’s parades when they begin at 10am. It’s fine that the city officials want to help the bar and restaurant business, wrote Aftenposten, but the newspaper didn’t buy the city’s arguments. It claimed that limits on availability of alcohol have served the country well for generations: “The best for the children is of course the least amount of intoxication possible around them.”
NewsinEnglish.no staff
