Protesting a wind farm that, they believe, violates the rights of the Sami Indigenous people to breed reindeer in Northern Norway, dozens of protestors on Monday blocked the entrance to Norway’s energy ministry in Oslo. Among them was Swedish teenager Greta Thunberg.
The protestors, mostly young people, lain down in front of the ministry gate waving Sami flags and a placard that said “Land Back.”
Protesters from groups including Young Friends of the Environment Norway and the NSR-Nuorat, the youth council of the Norwegian Sami Association, asked for an end to “the persistent human rights violations” suffered by Sami reindeer herders. Many of the campaigners dressed in colorful Sami garb and set up a tent similar to those seen in the Arctic.
The Norwegian Supreme Court declared in October 2021 that the Sami had a legal right to continue using the area for reindeer herding as it has been done for millennia without interference from wind turbines. The wind farm, though, is functioning normally.
“It is outrageous that the Norwegian government has chosen to reject the verdict,” said Thunberg, who joined the demonstration early Monday morning.
Norwegian station NRK reported early Monday that police had removed the demonstrators who had held the ministry’s foyer throughout the weekend. They moved their demonstration outside the ministry’s main door, where they chained themselves, leading officials to advise workers to stay at home.
