August 21. 2013

Fighting for their way of life, the indigenous Sami population in northern Sweden have been camping out to block attempts by British company Beowulf Mines to start blasting for iron ore. Police broke up the blockade of around 50 people made up of locals and Sami, who sang and chanted as they were taken away. In total eight people were detained for crimes varying from resisting arrest to trespassing. One protester who preferred to remain anonymous said: “It really shows how the system works. Police come and protect the companies with any force necessary. They don’t respect that we have another opinion and they treat us this way that you are seeing now.”

The proposed mine would be situated 50km from the town of Jokkmokk on the Arctic Circle, in the heart of Sami reindeer herding lands. The group which were said to have settled in northern Scandinavia at the end of the last ice age could see their traditions being bulldozed in a matter of years.

Source: http://www.euronews.com/2013/08/21/indigenous-sami-protest-british-mine-on-arctic-circle/