Alta conflict

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Construction works blocked

The Alta conflict ( Norwegian : Alta-saken or Alta-konflikten ) was a political conflict that lasted from around 1968 to 1982. Here protested seeds and environmentalists against the construction of hydroelectric power in Finnmark in Northern Norway . The expansion could not be prevented, but the demonstrations had a major impact on Sami politics in Norway.

background

In 1968 the first plans were presented that the Alta-Kautokeinovassdraget watercourse in Finnmark should be expanded for energy generation. This has been criticized mainly by Sami and environmental activists. The Sami saw it as a threat to their reindeer herding, and it was suggested that the Sami village of Máze be flooded. In 1973 the Altautvalget (German: Altawahl ) was founded, which fought against the expansion. In the same year the preservation of the place Máze was promised. On the Sami side, the organizations Norske Samers Riksforbund (NSR) and the reindeer herder association Norske Reindriftsamers Landsforbund (NRL) were against the expansion. The two Sami communities of Alta and Kautokeino also spoke out against it.

For the environmental activists, it was crucial that the river was home to a larger salmon population and, as such, was one of the best salmon rivers in Europe, and that the river was an important factor influencing the local climate in the area. The expansion would also destroy habitat for reindeer . Research reports have also stated that the area has a very diverse flora and fauna .

The Fylkesting of the then province of Finnmark, the Norwegian government and the energy authorities continued to implement the plans.

Rebellion

In 1978 the Folkeaksjonen mot utbygging av Alta / Kautokeino-vassdraget (German: People's action against the expansion of the Alta / Kautokeino watercourse ) was formed, which collected 15,000 signatures against the plans and presented them to the national parliament in Storting . Regardless of this, it decided to expand, which should lead to a 150-megawatt hydropower plant. A 110 meter high dam was to be built in Sautso for this purpose.

In the summer of 1979, the connection started a series of protest actions in which they prevented further construction of the facility through civil disobedience. In October, seven young Sami camped outside the Storting building in Oslo , demanding that the plans be stopped. After the Nordli government rejected these demands, they went on a seven-day hunger strike . This was reported daily in the Danish and Greenland news , among other things . The Norwegian police cracked down on the protests in the city and arrested some of the participants.

In addition to these actions, the organization also entered into a dialogue with the responsible authorities. The United Nations (UN) and the World Council of Indigenous Peoples were also involved. Norway received international criticism in this matter due to the state's crackdown on Sami interests and it was also reported by foreign media.

In 1979 the government finally stopped the work and allowed the reindeer herders to assess the affected area. The Storting refused to deal with the issue again on the grounds that there had been no changes in the matter. The government's demands for the expansion were also dismissed, whereupon the case was brought to court. In December 1980 the Alta court passed a verdict. In it, it criticized large parts of the decision-making process that led to the expansion. For example, this would conflict with the local nature protection laws of Máze. However, the expansion is basically legal. As a result of this judgment, construction continued on the plant from January 1981.

The continuation of the construction led to renewed actions by the opponents, which were stopped by the police. About 900 demonstrators were interrogated by police on the night of January 14, 1981. With around 600 police officers present, the operation represented the largest police operation during peacetime in Norway. A hunger strike was started again on January 24th, which lasted until February 25th, as construction work there was again suspended. In the meantime there had been a change of government after Odvar Nordli resigned due to health problems and the previous Environment Minister Gro Harlem Brundtland took over as Prime Minister. It should now be investigated whether the expansion violates the law on cultural heritage ( Kulturminneloven ). The impetus for this came from the Tromsø Museum, among others, which requested further mapping .

In September 1981 the work was resumed as no infringement could be found. No other major actions were taken against the building. In 1982, the Supreme Court of Norway also declared that the project was legal. The popular action was dissolved in 1982.

Effects

The Alta conflict led to a change in Norwegian policy towards the Sami people as the government was forced to give the Sami more rights. In addition, many Norwegians learned more about the exclusion of the Sami in the country for the first time. In October 1980 the Samerettsutvalget (German: Seed Rights Selection) was formed, which presented its results in 1984. This led to the adoption of the new Samelov ( Samelov ) law in 1987, which was the basis for the formation of the Sameting Norwegian-Sami Parliament .

In addition to the impact on Sami politics, the debate also had an impact on energy policy and the question of how nature conservation and hydropower should be combined. Local self-determination was also given more prominence.

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Kampen om Alta: Saken and conflicted: Masi - bygd and symbol. NVE, accessed March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).
  2. ↑ Altasaken og samisk rettighetskamp | Reaidu. University of Tromsø, accessed March 21, 2020 (Bokmål in Norwegian).
  3. ↑ a b Anders Boine Verstad: Sultet for å stanse vannkraftutbygging: - Hjertes mitt skriker continue. October 8, 2019, accessed March 21, 2020 (Norwegian Bokmål).
  4. ↑ Regjeringens work with gjennomføringen av Stortingets vedtak om utbygging av Altavassdraget. Stortinget, accessed March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).
  5. ↑ a b Siv Eli Vuolab: Historiene fra Alta-aksjonen. In: NRK. November 3, 2010, accessed on March 21, 2020 (Norwegian Bokmål).
  6. ↑ a b Historikk. In: Sametinget. Retrieved March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).
  7. ↑ Kampen om Alta: Saken og konfliktene. NVE, accessed March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).
  8. ↑ Kampen om Alta: Saken og konfliktene: Januaraksjonen. NVE, accessed March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).
  9. ↑ a b Kampen om Alta: Saken og konfliktene: Sultestreik II. NVE, accessed on March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).
  10. ↑ Hanne Hagtvedt Vik: Da samene ble Norges urfolk - Norgeshistorie. University of Oslo, November 25, 2015, accessed March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).
  11. ↑ Edgeir Benum: Forurensning og naturvern - Norgeshistorie. University of Oslo, November 25, 2015, accessed March 21, 2020 (Norwegian).