Activists argue with Norwegian energy minister over wind farms on Indigenous lands

By Ahmet Gencturk

ATHENS (AA) — Protesting environmental activists in Norway argued with the country's energy minister over a recent decision to allow the continued operation of wind farms on the traditional lands of Indigenous Sami reindeer herders, local media reported on Tuesday.

Meeting the protestors demonstrating outside the ministry building in Oslo, Terje Aasland assured them that he "fully respects the rights of indigenous peoples and the significance of reindeer husbandry for the Sami cultural tradition," according to the public broadcaster NRK.

Ella Marie Haetta, the spokesperson of the activists, who had been protesting since Thursday, shot back: "I can't stand you sitting and talking the same nonsense about us, which you have been doing for 505 days."

Haetta was referring to a ruling by the Nordic country's Supreme Court in October 2021, invalidating the operating licenses two large wind farms in the central Fosen region, concluding that they violated the Sami's indigenous rights.

Aasland argued that the government's policy on the wind farms was in line with the court's decision which stopped short of the turbines' dismantlement and said a new ruling would be required to issue such an order.

He was met by chanting from the demonstrators: "Indigenous people's rights are not optional, the mills must be demolished now!"

- Norway's ambitious energy plans and Sami people

The Sami people have lived in Europe's far north for thousands of years in a borderless region with the same name, where they live close to nature.

One of Europe's most distinct Indigenous communities, they inhabit untouched parts of Sweden, Finland, Norway, and Russia, where they coexist with the modern world while maintaining their ancient traditions and culture.

Despite the Supreme Court's ruling that the two wind farms violated Sami rights under international law, the turbines remain in operation.

Sixteen months on, the Indigenous group demands the turbines be removed immediately, saying that the sight and the noise they produce frighten animals and impose on the community's traditional lifestyle.

Activists, who assert that the transition to green energy must not come at the cost of ruining the traditional lives of Indigenous communities, have expressed their anger at Norwegian authorities after police detained some demonstrators occupying the Energy Ministry's reception area for days.

Norway says the issue was in the hands of the judiciary and the Energy Ministry will do all it can to resolve the issue.

According to the UN, the Sami still suffer human rights abuses, violations, and racism. It has also criticized Oslo's policies aiming to forcibly assimilate Indigenous group.

Traditionally, the Sami people have survived through reindeer herding, fishing, farming, and hunting. The community, however, says that reindeer herding, which carries a cultural significance and value to them, is being threatened by Nordic countries' green energy policies.