Sami activists and Greta Thunberg block the entrance to the Ministry of Oil and Energy. – An international shame, says Greta Thunberg about wind turbines at Fosen.
At five in the morning on Monday morning, Swedish Greta Thunberg came to the Ministry of Oil and Energy in Oslo. It is housed in the government building known as R5.
– Thank you for coming, said Ella Marie Hætta Isaksen, artist, actor and Sami activist.
– You had to get up last night, she asked Thunberg.
– Yes, you had to too, answered the Swedish climate activist.
– We haven’t slept at all, concluded Isaksen.
Carried out by the police
A little before 2 a.m. on Monday, the police came.
The activists, who were then inside the building, were told that they had to leave. Otherwise they would be removed.
– We were about to go to bed when the police came, says Isaksen.
Half an hour later they were carried out. They were taken to the Police House, questioned and released. A little before 7 o’clock they were back again. This time they sat down outside the door to block the entrance.
The protesters’ goal: To get the ministry to make a decision that wind turbines at Fosen in Trøndelag are to be demolished. The Supreme Court has agreed with the plaintiffs that it was a violation of Sami rights to allow wind power here. The court did not explicitly say what should happen to the wind turbines.
Isaksen believes that the ministry has now taken far too long to deal with this case: 500 days. She tells Aftenposten that she is sure that the action will be successful.
– I think the minister and others hoped that the whole thing would be passed over in silence, that we would withdraw in peace. Instead, the protest has only grown, says Isaksen.
– Will you come back if you are removed by the police again?
– It must be up to everyone. Several organizations are behind it, and some are here as private individuals. People must risk taking the financial consequences themselves. So it must be up to each individual, she says.
Ask for help from the police
On Sunday, the Departments’ Security and Service Organization (DSS) had asked for help from the police. The activists were then inside building R5.
Those residing in R5:
- Ministry of Children and Families.
- Ministry of Local Government and Districts.
- Ministry of Petroleum and Energy.
- Ministry of Transport.
An announced escalation of the action meant that DSS asked for help from the police. Such a blockade would prevent employees in several ministries from going to work, writes DSS in a press release.
Blocked escape routes would also be a hindrance in an emergency. DSS therefore believed that the action was also a security risk.
Together with Norske Samers Riksforbund Nuorat, Nature and Youth have been behind a major demonstration where the aim is to block all entrances to the Ministry of Oil and Energy.
Dispute over illegal wind turbines
The campaigners react to the fact that the wind turbines at Fosen, which the Supreme Court has ruled to be illegal, have not been demolished.
In October 2021, the reindeer owners on Fosen were upheld in the Supreme Court that the development of the wind power plants at Storheia in Åfjord and Haraheia in Roan on Fosen infringes the right of the reindeer husbandry Sami to practice culture.
In retrospect, the reindeer owners have demanded that the two wind turbines must be demolished in order for the Supreme Court’s decision to be respected, a view that several lawyers have supported. The Ministry of Petroleum and Energy, for its part, has insisted that they will find a solution that avoids having to demolish the mills.
Former Transport and Energy Minister Marte Mjøs Persen (Ap) has emphasized that although the permits to build the wind power plants have been declared invalid by the Supreme Court, the court has not taken a decision on what should happen to the plants.
Drove to police station with blue lights
According to the police, there were 13 activists inside the building on the night of Monday. They had been there since Thursday.
The 13 were told to leave the building by 01:55, otherwise they would be followed out, the police state in a press release.
The protesters asked for 30 more minutes, among other things to alert journalists. They also asked for permission to film, so that they could document their action. The police accepted that.
Starting at. At 02:25 they were carried out and taken to the police station in Greenland for questioning.
– The way the arrest is made is exactly how our action, the Fosen case, and the Sami people have been treated in history. We are being tried to be made invisible and silenced. Here, the state just wants to avoid another Alta action in pictures and daylight, says activist Elle Rávdná Näkkäläjärvi in a press release sent out by Nature and Youth. She says they won’t let themselves be gagged.
The action continues on Monday – Greta Thunberg participates
By seven o’clock on Monday morning, many of the campaigners were back.
Then a group had sat down in front of the main entrance to R5 and blocked it and parts of the pavement outside. The driveway to the government quarter’s goods reception and VG and Aftenposten’s garage facilities are also blocked by protesters.
The Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg sat down at 7 o’clock in front of the main entrance with the others.
Thunberg sat at the innermost door, surrounded by about twenty people. In addition, the sidewalk was full of activists.
– This is an international shame that does not only affect Norway. There is a global struggle for the rights of indigenous peoples all over the world. This is unfortunately just one example of that, says Thunberg to Aftenposten.
– You are known for climate action. Wind power is climate-friendly. Why is this an issue for you?
– This is not about opposition to wind power, but about human rights being violated. We cannot have climate change at the expense of indigenous people’s rights, she says.
