What Surviving a Terrorist Attack Taught Me

Bjørn Ihler

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2016 OFF in Oslo
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Bjørn Ihler is a Norwegian activist, writer, designer, and filmmaker who works across mediums to promote peace and human rights in defiance of violent extremism. When Anders Behring Breivik aimed his gun at him during the Utøya mass shooting that made headlines around the world, he had no idea that his act of hate would spark a revolution of compassion. Breivik missed, and Ihler survived. Now, he works to tame the currents of hatred and fear that led a man like Breivik to murder more than 70 people and injure hundreds on that day in 2011. 

About the Speaker

Bjørn Ihler

Bjørn

Ihler

Norwegian activist, writer, designer, and filmmaker

Bjørn Ihler is a Norwegian activist, writer, designer, and filmmaker working across mediums to promote peace and human rights in defiance of violent extremism. A survivor of the 2011 attack on Utøya Island in Norway, Ihler works to promote an understanding of the influence design, narratives, and storytelling have on culture and how narratives can be transformed to build more peaceful societies. Ihler graduated from the Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in 2013 and is pursuing a master’s in peace and conflict studies at Hacettepe University in 2016. Ihler is a part of the 2022 Obama Foundation Leaders Europe programme and is the founder of the Khalifa Ihler Institute, an international hub working to build healthier and more peaceful communities. He works as the co-founder and CEO of Glitterpill, which provides actionable data, analysis, and consulting services to companies and communities grappling with the issue of violent extremism and terrorism.

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