Norwegian activists rally against wind farm, defending herders’ rights

Dozens of activists in Norway on Thursday blocked the entrance to one of the main operators of a wind farm they say hinders the rights of the Sami Indigenous people to raise reindeer. At the centre 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 of Oslo. The activists say a transition to green energy shouldn’t come at the expense of the rights of Indigenous people.
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.
On Thursday, the activists sat down on the ground outside the building in Oslo of Statkraft, a state-owned company that operates 80 of the wind turbines at Fosen.
”We expect to block all visible entrances, ”activist Gina Gylver told the Norwegian newspaper Dagsavisen. Police spokesman Sven Martin Ege told Norwegian news agency NTB that the about 100 protesters have said they want to prevent employees of Statkraft from entering their workplace after which it was decided that they will work from home. Late Wednesday, a group of about 20 Sami, many dressed in traditional garments, staged a protest in a central hallway inside the Norwegian parliament. They were removed by police after refusing to leave the premises. Hundreds more had gathered on the main street leading up to Norway’s parliament, the Storting.