The Sami demonstrators in downtown Oslo have removed their camps and temporarily suspended their protests regarding wind turbines on their land. They expressed satisfaction after having

the opportunity to directly voice their concerns to King Harald V, feeling that their voices have been acknowledged.

According to Ingke Jåma, who was dressed in traditional Sami attire, the meeting with the King was a powerful experience. The Royal Palace in Oslo was busy on Monday, as King Harald first held an extraordinary Council of State to formally approve seven new government ministers and then granted audiences to various groups, including the Sami activists.

They were grateful for the opportunity to meet with the King, stating that they could express their feelings and felt that they were truly seen and heard. Both King Harald and Crown Prince Haakon met with the Sami activist leaders who had recently occupied Parliament, staged demonstrations, and blocked key locations, including the entrance to the state power provider Statkraft in Lysaker.

The Sami protestors were primarily addressing the government's failure to implement a Supreme Court ruling from 2021. This ruling deemed the construction of wind turbines on Sami grazing land in Trøndelag, particularly the Fosen area, as a violation of the human rights of the Sami, Norway's largest indigenous population. The turbines disrupted reindeer herding and made grazing difficult.

While not many details were disclosed from the brief 15-minute audience with the King and Crown Prince, those in attendance expressed that both showed sympathy and understanding for the Sami activists' concerns. Elle Nystad, leader of the youth group for the national Sami organization NSR, had hoped that the King would emphasize the government's responsibility in the matter.

The Sami activists have now dismantled their camps and suspended their protests following the audience with the King and Crown Prince. This was an ancient Sami tradition of seeking the King's assistance when they felt there was no other recourse. This meeting with the monarch was not the first of its kind, as the Sami had approached the late King Olav during the 1981 protests against the development of the Alta-Kautokeino waterway for power generation. At that time, Sami activists Mikkel Eira and Nils Gaup presented their concerns regarding the project's impact on the Alta River and were also granted an audience. Photo by (WT-en) JensANDMarian at English Wikivoyage, Wikimedia commons.