BIRMINGHAM, England

Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg and dozens of activists – including members of the indigenous Sami community – blocked the entrance of the Norwegian Energy Ministry on Monday, protesting the wind turbines built on land used by the minority group.

The Sami indigenous people have lived in Europe’s far north for thousands of years in a borderless region known as Sami, the land of the Sami, where they lead sustainable, culture-rich lives close to nature.

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

Although the Norwegian Supreme Court in 2021 ruled that the existence of two wind farms violated Sami rights under international law, the turbines are still in operation.

Sixteen months on, the indigenous group is demanding the turbines to be removed immediately, saying the sight and the noise of the turbine machines frighten animals and the traditional lifestyle of the community.

Activists who say the transition to green energy could not take place at the cost of ruining the traditional lives of the Indigenous communities have expressed their anger at the Norwegian authorities after police detained some activists after they occupied the ministry’s reception area for three days.

Norway says the issue is at the hand of justice and the ministry will do all it can to resolve the issue.

According to the UN, the Sami are still subjected to human rights abuses, violations, and racism. It has also issued criticisms of the country’s policies that forcibly aim to assimilate the indigenous group.

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

Thunberg has previously condemned the government’s “shortsighted, racist, colonial and nature-hostile” decision to allow an open-cast iron ore mine in Sami regions – part of a push to enable sustainable steel production to cut carbon emissions – due to its disregard for reindeer migration and the impact that it would have on the Sami culture and livelihood.