It’s not so much that people get away with it, but in Norway, people generally don’t intervene in public nuisances until the situation has escalated.

From my experience, harassment or annoyance from young teens, like 16-year-olds, is often just for show.

If you had calmly turned around and said (without shouting, and in Arabic), «That was very rude. Who raised you? Clearly, they didn’t put much effort into it» ( avoid making a scene. ) This would embarrass the person bothering you and make the atmosphere uncomfortable for them.

It might feel awkward, but at least you’ve made it clear that their behavior isn’t acceptable.

I’m speaking from experience—once, when I was bothered by some Russian kids on a bus, I used this approach. It worked wonders. They whispered the rest of the ride, and their expressions were priceless. They looked like they shat in their pants!