sonicweapons:

“Barn av regnbuen” (“Children of the Rainbow”)/”My Rainbow Race”. Yesterday (26 April), an estimated 40,000 people, led by Norwegian folk singer Lillebjørn Nilsen, gathered in Oslo to sing “Barn av regnbuen” (“Children of the Rainbow”). As shown in this clip, the large crowd also sang the English-language original that Nilsen adapted in Norwegian, Pete Seeger’s beautiful “My Rainbow Race”.

This moving singalong was organized in response to the ongoing trial of accused mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who has stated that he believes Nilsen is “a good example of a Marxist who infiltrated the cultural sector; he writes music that is used to brainwash children”. Nilsen’s song, which includes lyrics such as “Together we shall live/Every sister, every brother/Small [or “Young”] children of the rainbow”, was singled out for its message promoting a multicultural society.

You can learn more about the organization of this rally (including a partial translation of Nilsen’s song) here, and read an account of the events of 26 April here. You may also read an opinion piece about the singalong by English singer and political activist Billy Bragg in The Guardian, who concludes by noting that “By the simple act of singing [the song] together, [the gathered crowd has] drowned out the voice of hatred emanating from the Oslo courthouse.”