In a demonstration against wind turbines on land used for reindeer herding, Greta Thunberg and indigenous Sami activists blocked access to Norwegian ministries on Wednesday. Police forcibly removed them.
Police began dispersing the protesters by physically removing them from the area. The demonstrators were opposed to the installation of wind turbines on land used for reindeer herding in western Norway’s Fosen region.
According to footage shown on Norwegian television, Thunberg was taken away by two police officers while she was blocking a door at the finance ministry.
Despite a significant ruling by the Norwegian Supreme Court more than a year ago that the project violated Sami families’ right to practice their culture of reindeer husbandry, the turbines are still in use.
Last Thursday, a few Sami activists occupied the entrance hall of the energy ministry while wearing their customary blue and red attire as part of the protest.
The access to other ministries was subsequently blocked this week by an increasing number of activists, who eventually expanded to more government buildings.
On Sunday, Greta Thunberg of Sweden joined them.
She told TV2 that the issue of human rights violations was the reason why this fight was crucial.
The Sami, an indigenous group of about 100,000 people living in northern Norway, Sweden, Finland, and Russia, traditionally subsisted on fishing and herding reindeer.
The expropriation and operating permits for the installation of the 151 turbines were declared invalid by Norway’s highest court in a unanimous decision.
What should be done with the turbines, which were already in operation, was not specified, though.
In an effort to find a way for the turbines and Sami people to coexist, the Norwegian government has so far refrained from taking any action and instead requested additional assessments.
