Beck likens Norway camp to 'Hitler Youth'

7/26/2011

NEW YORK — Radio talk show host Glenn Beck said on his show that the camp in Norway where a gunman opened fire on young people sounds "like Hitler Youth."

On his radio show Monday, the former Fox News Channel host was discussing last week's attacks where at least 76 people were killed. In an aside, he talked about the Utoya Island camp run by the ruling Labor Party for youngsters interested in politics.

The camp "sounds a little like the Hitler Youth or whatever," Beck said. "Who does a camp for kids that's all about politics? Disturbing."

The camp was targeted by the gunman, who claimed he was trying to save Europe from what he says is Muslim colonization. The Labor Party has advanced a policy of ethnic tolerance.

Torbjorn Eriksen, a former press secretary to Norway prime minister Jens Stoltenberg, told The Daily Telegraph in England that the comments were a "new low" for Beck.

"Young political activists have gathered at Utoya for over 60 years to learn about and be part of democracy, the very opposite of what the Hitler Youth was about," Eriksen said. "Glenn Beck's comments are ignorant, incorrect and extremely hurtful."

Beck made his comments during a discussion about problems that he predicted Europe would face because of an increased Muslim population. He denounced the gunman, who he said "is just as bad as Osama bin Laden."

The Hitler Youth aimed to instill the Nazis' racist and xenophobic ideals into young Germans, through a mix of indoctrination, outdoor activities and military-style training.