Tuesday saw the expansion of a demonstration calling for the removal of wind turbines from reindeer pastures by indigenous and environmental activists, including Greta Thunberg, who blocked the entrance to a number of Norwegian government agencies.
Two wind farms constructed at Fosen in central Norway were found to have breached Sami human rights under international treaties by Norway’s supreme court in 2021, although the turbines are still in operation more than 16 months later.
Almost a hundred protesters yelled “C, S, V,” the abbreviation of a 1970s Sami slogan meaning “Show Sami spirit,” as police began removing a few protesters from outside the building housing the majority of the finance ministry – a new target for protesters.
The removals happened on Supreme Court Square, directly across from the court that upheld the reindeer herders’ position in the Fosen case.
Campaigners continued their efforts while staging a protest at the nearby energy ministry, which also houses the transport and family ministries as well as a portion of the finance ministry.
Thunberg, a supporter of eliminating the dependency of the globe on carbon-based energy, has urged that governments shouldn’t permit the shift to green energy to be made at the price of Indigenous Sami rights.
Story was adapted from Climate Home News
