As hundreds of thousands of Norwegians streamed into their cities and hometowns to cheer for their football heroes at the World Cup, police and other emergency officials were on full alert. Not only could the country become a terror target, the locals could get into trouble on their own.
“As with all events where many people gather, our job is to make sure we have law and order and safety,” Øystein Holt, leader of the police response in Vestfold, told news service NTB. He and his colleagues all over the country were charged with keeping things as orderly as possible as Norwegians kept “rowing” their way to football triumph against England. Norway’s surprise entry into the quarter-finals at the World Cup has electrified the nation, and sent Norwegians into a patriotic frenzy.
In Oslo, where more than 100,000 Norwegians gathered last weekend to cheer on their national team, there was even a ban on the use of electric scooters in the downtown area. City officials feared their use could lead to accidents, and they were banned from midnight Friday until 5am on Sunday.
Police all over the country boosted staffing Saturday night, when Norway would face off against England at 11pm local time. So did hospital emergency rooms and public transport systems. Oslo put at least 30 extra buses in service through the night, to help get fans home from special outdoor public broadcasts of the football match against England in Miami. Rain that started falling in the Norwegian capital of Oslo Saturday evening didn’t seem to dampen fans’ interest in their national team.
NewsinEnglish.no staff
