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Norway activists press on with protest against wind farm on Sami land
Activists wearing traditional Sami outfits sit in protest outside the entrance of Statkraft, a state-owned company that operates 80 of the wind turbines at Fosen, in central Norway’s Fosen district, about 450 kilometers (280 miles) north of the capital of Oslo, in Oslo, Thursday, Oct. 12, 2023.

DOZENS of activists in Norway blocked the entrance to one of the main operators of a wind farm they say hinders the rights of the indigenous Sami people to raise reindeer today.

At the centre of the dispute are the 151 turbines of Europe’s largest onshore wind farm, located in central Norway’s Fosen district, about 280 miles north of Oslo.

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 outside the headquarters of Statkraft, a state-owned company that operates 80 of the wind turbines at Fosen.

Climate activist Greta Thunberg, who joined the protest in Oslo today, said: “We cannot have renewable energy that violates human rights.

“Statkraft and other owners must step forward and demand a solution to the Fosen case so that green energy is developed in the right way in the future without violating the rights of indigenous people.”

Police spokesman Sven Martin Ege told Norwegian news agency NTB after the 100 protesters said they want to stop employees of Statkraft from entering their workplace, it was decided that they will work from home.

Late on Wednesday a group of about 20 Sami, many dressed in traditional garments, staged a protest in a central hallway at the Norwegian parliament. They were removed by police after refusing to leave the premises. Hundreds more had gathered in the street leading up to Norway’s parliament, the Storting.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store has acknowledged ongoing human rights violations and the government has repeatedly apologised for failing to act despite the Supreme Court ruling.

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