Norway’s leader meets Indigenous Sami as protests end

By JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Norwegian Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre has met with Indigenous Sami reindeer herders after more than a week of protests against wind farms that activists say endanger the herders’ way of life. The prime minister acknowledged “ongoing human rights violations” in the situation. The protesters, many of them teenagers, said they will pause their blockade of the entrances to government ministries after one last action Friday. The government apologized Thursday for failing to act despite Norway’s Supreme Court ruling in 2021 that the construction of wind turbines violated the rights of the Sami, who have used the land for reindeer for centuries. The windmills are still operating.