Activists protest energy sector

Peaceful Assembly

On 19th and 20th November 2022, Norwegian energy company Equinor was targeted in a campaign by climate activists during the opening of the annual ski season at the resort of Beitostølen.  Greenpeace activists coordinated the protest, which was supported by professional Swedish cross-country skier Emil Johansson Kringstad, who declared: “The climate crisis is the most severe threat against ski sports today, and fossil energy is the main cause of the climate crisis”.  Kringstad reportedly criticised Equinor for sponsoring professional sports as a form of “sportswashing” – an attempt to whitewash perception of the company.

As part of the protest, Greenpeace activists covered up some of Equinor’s logos and advertising at the ski resort Beitostølen. According to Andreas Randøy of Greenpeace, it is “absurd that skiing is being sponsored by the greatest threat to its own existence”. At the protest, at least 14 Greenpeace activists were escorted out of the resort area by police; however, there were no reports of aggression or violence.

On 18th November 2022, two climate activists from the Stop the Search for Oil Campaign threw yellow paint on statues in Oslo’s Frogner Vigeland Park, including one of the most famous works by Gustav Vigeland’s entitled the Monolith. The two activists were forcibly removed from the park by police.

The Campaign has demanded an immediate end to all further oil and gas exploration on the Norwegian continental shelf. Activists have called on the Norwegian government to present a specific action plan on job transitions for those working in the oil industry. The Oslo city government criticised the vandalism of the statues and reportedly filed a complaint against the perpetrators.