Indigenous activists fighting back
Thousands of people across the world have demonstrated and demanded the stop of destructive and oppressive practices, in Northern Norway.
The Nussir project is a copper mine, planning to dump 30 million tonnes of toxic mining waste directly into the protected wild salmon fjord, Repparfjord. This fjord is already a recovering ecosystem of marine wildlife, as a result of previous mining pollution in the 70s. Norway and Papua New Guinea are the only two countries in the world that allows new mining projects that dispose of mining waste directly into the ocean. By allowing this project, the Norwegian government is not only undermining global efforts to protect our oceans, but also normalizing a disastrous practice.
The Repparfjord is also a part of a long history of the Scandinavian countries oppressing and violating the rights of Sámi people, taking their land and taking away their cultural heritage. This mine is located in traditional Sámi reindeer grazing lands and critical calving areas for the reindeer. Local reindeer herders and the Sámi parliament have clearly opposed the project. There was clearly no prior informed consent on the project, and is a clear violation of human rights.
Norway has for a long time presented themselves as an environmentally friendly and just country, but we know that isn’t true. This is just a small part of the systematic oppression indigenous people are facing in Norway.
But people are fighting back. In the summer of 2025, the company started blowing up the mountain without warning. Hundreds of activists came to stop them, they set up blockades stopping the workers and a protest camp. This camp stayed up until January of this year, as the longest running protest camp in Norwegian history. Activists are continuing to demonstrate against this mine, all over the world. Last month thousands of people demonstrated outside the offices of the investor of the project, Hartree partners.
It is getting harder and harder to speak up against this injustice, the police are punishing activists more than ever, and fines are un-democraticly high. This is seriously damaging our democratic right to protest. Help the ongoing struggle for Repparfjort! Donate here: https://www.spleis.no/reddrepparfjord Ending date for donations is the 1st of april.