Swedish climate celeb Greta Thunberg protests against wind farm after being fined for oil protest

Swedish climate activist and celebrity Greta Thunberg joined a protest Thursday in Oslo, Norway, against a wind farm that indigenous reindeer herders claim disrupts their hunting traditions.

The protests began on Wednesday, but Thunberg was unable to attend the first day of protests as she was in a Swedish court for disobeying police during a protest against an oil terminal in July. After being ordered to pay a $206 fine for her actions at the July protest, Thunberg headed over to Norway to join the protest against the wind farm.

According to Recharge, a renewable energy publication, around 100 activists blocked entrances to the Norwegian state-owned renewables company that owns the wind farm. Recharge cited reporting in the Norwegian publication Dagens Næringsliv, saying employees of the company were advised to work from home.

Sami reindeer herders claim the noise from the 151 turbines at Norway’s largest onshore wind farm are scaring off their herds and impacting traditional hunting practices.

Norway’s Supreme Court ruled in October of 2021 that the permits the company received for the wind farm violated the rights of the Sami, who have used the area for reindeer herding for centuries. Recharge also reported that Norway’s Supreme Court ruling didn’t include any order for the wind farm to cease operations or be torn down.

Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre acknowledged to Euronews “ongoing human rights violations” and the government has repeatedly apologised for failing to act despite the Supreme Court ruling. Energy Minister Terje Aasland said that the demolition of all wind turbines at Fosen now, as the protesters demand, was not relevant.

This was not the first time Thunberg had protested against the wind farm. Earlier this year, Thunberg was among the protestors who occupied the Norwegian energy ministry’s lobby.

They chained themselves together and demanded the wind farm be taken down and were removed by police after refusing to leave the premises.