For three days, over 100 shareholders blockaded the Ministry of Oil and Energy and several other ministries in Oslo. – It’s beautiful, says publisher Anders Heger in Cappelen Damm. He is standing close to the protesters outside the entrance to the Ministry of Oil and Energy in Akersgata. They demand that the wind turbines that stand in the winter pasture of the sama in Fosen must be torn down. Anders Heger was involved in the action in the Alta case, which took place in the 70s and 80s. Here he goes on a demonstration train at Karl Johan. Photo: Privat Around 40 years ago, Heger demonstrated here himself. The case had a different name, but Heger believes there are two battles in one battle. – This is not a parallel to the Alta case, it is one and the same case. The Alta case The Alta case was a major political conflict surrounding the development of the Alta watercourse in Inner Finnmark, which mainly lasted from 1968 to 1982. The government, the energy authorities and Finnmark county council wanted to develop the watercourse for hydropower. The plans presented in 1968 met with strong criticism from the Sami population and environmentalists. The Norwegian Sami National Association (NSR) and the Norwegian Reindrift Sami National Association (NRL) were both opponents of the development. There were also Alta (Áltá) municipality and Kautokeino (Guovdageaidnu) municipality, as well as nature and environmental protection organisations. The development would lead to very negative consequences for Sami reindeer husbandry. It was also proposed to dam the Sami-speaking village of Máze (Norwegian: Masi), but the village was exempted from the plans and protection in 1973. Environmentalists emphasized what the watercourse had to say for the salmon river Alta-elva and for agriculture and the climate in the surrounding area. They also emphasized that the Alta valley, through which the Alta river flows, had distinctive natural qualities. In 1978, the conservation sides gathered in the People’s Action against the development of the Alta/Kautokeino waterway, which collected 15,000 signatures against the development. These were sent to the Storting, which nevertheless approved the development of a 150 MW installation and the development of a 110 meter high dam at the Šávču (Norwegian: Sautso) river gorge. During 1979, the popular action used civil disobedience, and managed to stop construction work for a period. A group of Sami set up tents outside the Storting, and demanded that they stop the development. The government did not stop, and the Samani responded by starting a hunger strike. At the same time, they had a dialogue with the authorities, and subsequently several international actors became involved in the case. This led to the government halting the construction work and giving the reindeer owners a new deadline for a new report to the Storting. The Storting, however, refused to consider the case again. The reindeer owners’ demand to stop development until the question of whether the Sama’s rights had been clarified was also rejected by the government. The case was brought to court, and in December 1980 there was a judgment in the Alta Herredsrett which was critical of large parts of the proceedings in the Alta case. The court nevertheless ruled that the development was legal, which led to construction work starting again in January 1981. New civil disobedience actions were started, but were stopped by the police. A group of Sami started a new hunger strike that lasted from 24 January to 25 February, when construction work was stopped again. After the authorities had investigated whether the development was in breach of the Cultural Heritage Act, the work was taken up again in September 1981. In 1982, the Supreme Court declared that it agreed with the Alta Herredsrett that the development was legal. The People’s Action was disbanded the same year. The waterway is yet to be developed, but the case led to a reform of Norwegian Sami policy. The Sami rights committee, which was set up in 1980, presented its first recommendations in 1984. As a result of the committee’s work, a new Sami law came in 1987, the same year as the Alta dam opened, and a separate constitutional clause on Sami language, culture and society in 1988 The Sami Parliament then opened in 1989. Source: SNL. “Unmusical and stupid” He says that nature is such an intertwined part of the indigenous people’s rights that it would be wrong to separate them from each other. – Saving nature and saving the rights of indigenous peoples are the same thing. He is very critical of how the government has handled the case, and calls it terribly unmusical and stupid. – This is a slap in the face to the Sami population, just like the construction of the Alta dam was. He believes that society at large does not really understand what it means to have an indigenous minority in its midst. – They alienate themselves from a very important part of the population who have been here since long before the nation was a phenomenon, and then make Norway a less inclusive society. Shareholders during the Alta action. Anders Heger sits at the bottom left with a pipe in his hand. Photo: Private He first of all thinks it’s sad, and says it may indicate that not much has changed since he demonstrated. – They look at a set of theoretical and legal subtleties instead of looking at the underlying political and cultural issues, says Heger. Also in the Alta case, the Supreme Court made a judgment. At that time they found that the development was legal, but now they have found the decision on the wind turbine development invalid. – It is possible that a compromise can be found, but they can no longer say that they have to sort this out. It doesn’t work. They have received a human rights judgment on the table. They can follow him. Sentenced to five months in prison Several of the activists have been deported and have been fined by the police. Heger also got it when he demonstrated. He was removed by the police three times during the demonstrations in Alta and once in Oslo. But four fines totaling around NOK 30,000 were too much for a student to pay, and Heger therefore had to spend five months in prison. On 6 February 1981, 14 Sami women entered the office of the new Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. Heger blocked the foyer. Photo: Erik Thorberg / NTB In 1978, the People’s Action started against the development of the Alta/Kautokeino watercourse. Ten years earlier, the authorities had presented their plans for hydropower development in the Alta river. It was met with criticism from both Samar and environmentalists, who in the end ended up chaining themselves, going on hunger strike and occupying the prime minister’s office. On 6 February 1981, 14 Sami women entered the office of the new Prime Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland. – There were different security procedures that time, says Heger and chuckles lightly. He looks towards the building where the Prime Minister’s office used to be. He says that their strategy was similar to that used by the protesters today. – We had to go to the core of power, just like here. And it was in the power’s core, Heger was even up for being arrested. It happened when he and other activists blocked the foyer in Høgblokka, at the same time that the 14 other activists had sat down in the Prime Minister’s office in the same building. Thinks it is positive with strong opposition In recent days, Heger has walked past the demonstrators outside the Ministry of Oil and Energy on his way to work. – One thing is that it is like being thrown back in time, but it is so positive that the opposition is so strong, so visible and they are so full of will to win. He usually stops to talk to the campaigners. – It’s a bit of both, because I don’t want to disturb them too much. I know they are on their own. – At the same time, it is nice to see that it is continuing, he adds. Støre: Demand thorough investigations Earlier on Wednesday, the police removed demonstrators who were blocking the entrances to the Ministry of Trade and Fisheries. This happened after the police received encouragement from the Security and Service Organization for the Ministries (DSS) to remove the demonstrators. – Our focus is to ensure that the ministries can maintain their socially critical functions, by maintaining the necessary security and access to the ministries. At the same time, we are busy making arrangements for the demonstrators to express their message, says press officer in DSS, Liv Nodeland, to NTB. On Monday, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said that he is concerned about a close and good dialogue between the Sami and the government. – The Supreme Court has not taken a decision on what will happen to the two wind power plants which today supply a large amount of power to central Norway. It requires thorough investigations to come up with solutions to this matter, and the government wishes to implement this in good understanding with the reindeer herding and the Sámi Parliament, said Støre.
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– Like being thrown back in time – news Norway – Overview of news from different parts of the country
