– This is a mob trip that I think must be cracked down on, says FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug.
For the third day in a row, activists are taking action on the roads around Trondheim. Climate activists have blocked key roads such as Elgsæter bridge and the E6 at Nardo. They belong to the group “Stop oil exploration”, which wants a halt in all exploration for oil and gas.
– A betrayal of ordinary people
– Dangerous
Several of the activists are foreigners, reports NRK. FRP leader Sylvi Listhaug therefore demands that activists must be expelled from Norway, and has asked the Minister of Justice and Emergency Management Emilie Enger Mehl to intervene.
– I hope action is now taken. I mean now you have to use the tools you have in the toolbox. I expect that the opportunity will be used to expel these activists and, of course, to ban entry. Then they get to do mobs in other countries than in Norway, says Listhaug.
The international action group has had several different actions in Norway before. Among other things, they have blocked the oil terminal on Sjursøya in Oslo.
Sylvi Listhaug believes that the way the activists block very busy roads is dangerous in traffic.
– The police say outright that this is dangerous, because it is a very busy road. This can lead to dangerous situations for completely innocent people who are on their way to work sitting in the car. Then you have to put an end to it. It is clear that the instruments are not powerful enough if they just continue.
Chaos can end in 10,000 phone calls
– Stubborn and racist
Ronja Therese Mylius, spokesperson for the “Stop the oil exploration campaign”, tells Dagbladet that she thinks it is strange that Sylvi Listhaug focuses on the fact that there are activists of foreign origin.
– These are not people who have traveled to Norway to take action. These are people who live, work and study in Trondheim. Using the immigration card is just awkward and racist, she says and adds:
– This is not a national problem, it is a problem that affects the whole world. The climate crisis is something that will have consequences for everyone, no matter where you are.
Mylius acknowledges that the activists create problems for traffic in Trondheim, but she believes that they are fighting for a bigger cause.
– Of course, we do not want this to affect private individuals, but we want to prevent the collapse of society. We feel that we have tried everything else, but the government will not listen to us or to the UN. Sylvi Listhaug has also been in government and had the opportunity to take climate action before, so we had not had such a short time to act now.
To maintain the safety of the activists, Mylius says that they have trained in various situations.
– There are trained activists, and we have had training with former AMK employees. We have good routines for how to handle different situations and how we can maintain our safety and that of others, says Mylius.
– Ridiculous
The FRP leader thinks it is ridiculous that Mylius calls it racist.
– Everyone who is a foreign citizen in Norway must follow our laws. If they fail to follow them, it is the job of the police to deport them. FrP does not accept that foreign nationals commit illegal acts while in Norway. It is ridiculous to call it racist when those who have been arrested for illegal actions are EU citizens, says Listhaug.
In addition, Listhaug believes that she has done what she could to reduce climate emissions when she and the FRP were in government.
– These demonstrators have an unrealistic and naive view of the world. The world will need oil and gas for a long time to come. When the Progress Party was in government, emissions went down, she says and adds:
– Due to Norwegian gas, Europe has cut its emissions year after year, and this has helped to reduce the use of coal. As long as the world needs oil and gas, it is better for Norway and other democracies to produce it, than for authoritarian regimes such as Russia.