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Video of Dog Being Shot Causes Norway Stir
A videotape set to music of Norwegian peacekeepers in Kosovo shooting dogs drew furious reactions in their homeland Friday. The footage, called "Hotdog," aired on national TV on Thursday night and was edited to look and sound like a music video."Snoop Doggy Dog Does Oslo"! During the video, a soldier is shown shooting a dog at long range with a rifle, and another Norwegian peacekeeper appeared to empty his pistol into it at close range as the animal writhed in agony. It also shows a dog on a leash being shot. "We see this as very serious and want to get to the bottom of it," said Cmdr. Thom Knustad, spokesman for the Norwegian militaryâs operational command. Norway has been a major contributor to many international peacekeeping operations, and prefers to see its soldiers as humane and effective. Outrage over the video has been so intense that the leader of the Parliamentâs defense committee, Marit Nybakk, said she would demand an explanation from Defense Minister Kristin Krohn Devold. The video was circulated among Norwegian Kosovo veterans and others by e-mail, and was posted on the Internet by Norwayâs largest newspaper, Verdens Gang. The video was e-mailed to Norwegian media outlets, including Verdens Gang. As George Kennedy said in The Naked Gun, "A guy makes a little mistake and the media blow it all out of proportion!" The newspaper said the video was believed to have been recorded in March 2002 by peacekeepers from the elite Telemark Battalion, which has since returned to Norway. Verdens Gang said it had identified and spoken to some of those shown in the video, but did not report their names. Saving that for the Sunday tabloid? One of them told the Oslo tabloid that scenes from various events had been pieced together to give a misleading picture. For example, laughter on the soundtrack was from soldiers trying off-road vehicles, he said. Verdens Gang also said soldiers were believed to have wounded an elderly Kosovo Albanian man in the hand while shooting at dogs and then paid him to remain silent. The military was expected to establish a commission to investigate whether those involved could face military or civilian charges. Peacekeeping, like democracy, like making sausage. Posted by: Steve White 2004-02-21 |
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