Sami rights activists in Norway charged over protests against wind farm affecting reindeer herding

2024-12-24 09:33:52 source: category:Contact-us

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Some 20 activists have been charged after they blocked several entrances to Norwegian government offices over a wind farm that they say hinders the rights of the Sami Indigenous people to raise reindeer, their lawyer said Friday.

The exact charge was not known. The VG newspaper said they were charged because they did not accept the fines they had been given after having been forcefully removed by police. They face trial in March in Oslo.

At the center of the dispute are the 151 turbines of Europe’s largest onshore wind farm, which is located in central Norway’s Fosen district, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of the capital, Oslo.

The activists say a transition to green energy shouldn’t come at the expense of the rights of Indigenous people.

Other news Norway considers halting overseas adoptions as Denmark’s only international agency winds down work Mass killer who says his rights are violated should remain in solitary confinement, Norway says Norwegian mass killer attempts to sue the state once more for an alleged breach of human rights

They have demonstrated repeatedly against the wind farm’s continued operation since the Supreme Court of Norway ruled in October 2021 that the construction of the turbines had violated the rights of the Sami, who have used the land for reindeer for centuries.

“Punishing the Sami youth and their supporters will be yet another violation of their human rights — violation of their freedom of speech and demonstration,” lawyer Olaf Halvorsen Rønning said.

Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, one of the activists, said “it is the state that is responsible for the situation at Fosen, while the Fosen actions, by all accounts, have only contributed to solving it.”

In October, activists — many dressed in traditional Sami garments — blocked the entrance to one of the main operators of a wind farm to prevent employees from entering.

In June, they protested outside Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre’s office, and they occupied the Ministry of Petroleum and Energy for four days in February, and later blocked the entrances to 10 ministries.

Sami, who mostly live in the Arctic, came from neighboring Sweden and Finland to join the protest. Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg was among the protesters. It was unclear whether she was among those charged.

Gahr Støre has acknowledged “ongoing human rights violations” and the government has repeatedly apologized for failing to act despite the Supreme Court ruling. Energy Minister Terje Aasland has said that the demolition of all wind turbines at Fosen — as the protesters demand — is not being considered.

More:Contact-us

Recommend

Veterans Day restaurant deals 2024: More than 80 discounts, including free meals

Restaurants across the country have specials for Veterans Day on Monday as a way to honor the sacrif

Aaron Rodgers-Robert Saleh timeline: Looking back at working relationship on Jets

As it turns out, there was not a lot of gas and plenty of brake during the Robert Saleh era.The New

Mark Wahlberg's Wife Rhea Durham Shares NSFW Photo of Him on Vacation

Things got cheeky during Mark Wahlberg and Rhea Durham’s latest vacation.Rhea wasn’t shy when it cam