Greta Thurnburg and other climate activists are keen on Preaching Human Rights, Climate Awareness to India, when there is concerted persecution of Sami natives in their backyard.

We strongly feel, Greta, Rihana are wasting their time, effort and money in bringing down Democracy in India by instigating violence, organizing Tweet storms to instigate Riots on India's Republic Day, Rihana showing her #Hinduphobia mindset to the world, they all should focus on Sweden's persecution of disappearing Sami Natives, a real Human Rights violation and save the Environment in Sami natives land, advocate Industries to destroy forests in Sami land in Nordic region. This is just one example how they can focus their time, money and effort effectively. 

Sweden’s persecution of disappearing Sami natives

Sami Climate Persecution

Sámi are indigenous to the northern-most Nordic countries (see also Finland and Norway) as well as Russia. The region comprising their traditional lands is called Sápmi in the Sámi language. Though their exact numbers are uncertain, some estimates suggest that 20,000–40,000 Sámi live in Sweden. The largest concentrations of Sámi live in the northern municipalities of Kiruna, Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Arvidsjaur, while others live in the greater Stockholm area. In 1993, a UNESCO survey (which also covered Norway and Finland) showed that some of the smaller Sámi dialects were either seriously endangered or virtually extinct.

Historical context

In the seventeenth century, there was an active effort to Christianize Sámi in Sweden. Sámi were forced to attend church services, under threat of fines, imprisonment and even the death penalty for those who did not give up their traditional beliefs. This effort included the burning of sacred drums and desecration of sacred sites, and led to an almost complete destruction of traditional Sámi religious expression. The persecution went hand-in-hand with state encouragement of farmers to settle on Sámi territory in the very far north of Sweden.

The first recognition of Sámi rights occurred in 1751 with an amendment to the border agreement between Sweden and Norway, known as the Lapp Codicil. This amendment allowed for the free passage of Sámi between the two countries and in doing so respected a pre-existing right to access land on both sides of the border.

As Sámi became better organized, they won increased support for the maintenance of their language, including the right to mother-tongue teaching in Swedish schools. The Sámi National Union was founded in 1950. Sámis’ status as an indigenous people received legislative recognition in 1977. In 1992 the Swedish Parliament passed Proposition 1992–93:32 establishing a national Swedish Sámi Assembly or Sameting, which only has advisory status.

On 1 April 2000, Sweden officially recognized Sámi as a national minority language. Legislation enacted ensured the right to use Sámi when dealing with state authorities and the courts. The law applies to municipal, state, regional and local authorities in the Sámi administrative area, which includes Kiruna, Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Arjeplog. This legislation gives Sámi individuals the right to use Sámi in all oral and written communication with authorities concerning official decisions related to them. Authorities are obliged to use Sámi in oral communications and provide information that a written answer can be translated orally into Sámi if the individual requests it. Provision also exists for Sámi-language education within the Sámi area. Within so called ‘Sámi schools’ instruction is given in both Swedish and the Sámi language. Sámi schools can be found in Karesuando, Lannavaara, Kiruna, Gällivare, Jokkmokk and Tärnaby. Some municipalities offer integrated Sámi education, which means that Sámi children attend municipal schools, but a part of their education has a Sámi focus. Sámi children are allowed four weeks a year out of school to participate in reindeer herding.

The legislation was further strengthened in 2010 Act on National Minorities and Minority Languages, which was intended to extend the geographic scope of the protection given, including for the Sámi language. In addition to 45 municipalities specified in the Act as having particular responsibility to promote Sámi, Finnish and Meänkieli, 30 more municipalities have joined the administrative areas for the languages in recent years (these are then eligible for central government grants, depending on the size of the minority communities in each municipality). However, in 2015, a moratorium on that process was imposed. The moratorium was declared without prior consultation. Moreover, only a few of the coordinators in the administrative area for the Sámi language actually speak it.

In 2011, the Constitution of Sweden was amended to recognise Sámi as a people. The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, however, has criticised the Swedish government for not legislating on issues of Sámi land and resource rights, and for not recognising their right to free, prior and informed consent.

Church of Sweden to apologise to indigenous Sami people for “historical abuses” including forced baptism, assimilation
 

The Church of Sweden has decided to apologise to the indigenous Sami people for what it has called “historical abuses”, such as forced baptism and assimilation, as well as aiding and abetting degrading racial biological studies on the Sami people during the 20th century.

Jackelén specifically dwelled on the Church’s role in racial biological studies that included skull measurements not unlike those performed by Nazi Germany as one of the reasons for the apology.

The initiative was welcomed by the Swedish Sami National Association (SSR).

 

The Sami Peoples: A Story of Nature and Persecution:  https://www.thebubble.org.uk/culture/history/the-sami-peoples-a-story-of-nature-and-persecution/ 
 

Sami desire for truth and reconciliation process: As Sweden pushes back against multiculturalism, its indigenous Sami population pushes for recognition: https://www.politico.eu/article/sami-reconciliation-process-sweden-minority-multiculturalism-human-rights-discrimination/
 

“Swedes seem to know more about Native Americans than they do about their own indigenous population” — Author of report on Sami integration

 

Are citizens of poor/developing nations not allowed to be concerned about rich nations? By Karolina Goswami

From Karolina Goswami's research; 

"Severe forms of human rights violations occur when Swedes travel abroad for child sex tourism. It was revealed that ‘’between 4,000 and 5,000 purchases of sexual services from minors by Swedes occur abroad every year.” Source: ECPAT

"Fascism, racism, and Sweden’s ‘Nazi links’: Swedish Government sources report that there are times when minorities in Sweden like Sami, Roma and Jews are even ‘’forced to hide their identity and develop survival strategies in their daily lives to avoid harassment, threats and violence.’’

But is it really that surprising for a country whose terrible record of human rights violations may even bring you to tears? Did anyone ever tell you about ‘’The Swedish Society for Race Hygiene’’ (Svenska sällskapet för rashygien)? This study mentions ‘’the fact that Sweden, was the first country where government-funded eugenics (or ‘race biological’) institute was created…’’

Ref.: http://www.indiaindetails.com/index.php/2021/02/07/2194/

 

Sweden’s indigenous Sami people threatened by climate change: The indigenous Sami people have lived across Norway, Finland, Russia and Sweden in the Arctic region for thousands of years. Their traditions and way of life are intimately connected to the Arctic north. But a warming planet is putting that under threat and is creating grievances with governments over how to fix it.

Ref.: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X6RC-RzBl1k&ab_channel=AlJazeeraEnglish

Persecution of Sami women raised in U.N. address

In her U.N. address last year, Josefina Lundgren Skerk, vice president of the Sami parliament in Sweden, raised the issue of the forced sterilization of Sami women. The subject has long been taboo, and had not been publicly addressed before, despite a recent investigation into the practice involving Roma women in Sweden, some of whom allegedly received financial compensation for the procedure.

Norwegian Celebrities - https://www.imdb.com/list/ls074774544/

Joni Mitchell is Sami! There’s no extensive research into her roots (yet) but this is what she told recently to a Norwegian journalist. Her grandparents came from Norway but were always ashamed to talk about their heritage. But once she met one of her cousins and asked whether their family has Sami background. Yes we have Sami blood, had the cousin replied.

Ref.: https://rauna.wordpress.com/2008/01/25/joni-mitchell-and-other-famous-sami/

Swedish colonialism, part 1: the persecution of the Sami: https://louisproyect.org/2015/07/07/swedish-colonialism-part-1-the-persecution-of-the-sami/

 

Current issues

Despite the efforts made to protect the Sámi language in recent years, major problems still remain. Some analysts say the recent legislation has not had a large impact – partly because of the weakened state of the language before it was introduced (many young people ca not speak Sámi fluently), and there are not enough teachers or officials proficient in the language to allow its widespread use in schools or administrative settings.

Of particular note is Sweden’s failure to ratify the ILO Indigenous and Tribal Peoples Convention No. 169. As such, Sweden has received criticism from various local and international sources, including the Swedish Discrimination Ombudsman. In a letter to the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, the Discrimination Ombudsman suggested that Swedish policy failed to adequately account for Sámi status as indigenous people and that it was based on policies developed during the colonization of Sámi.

Issues arise due to a general misperception concerning the multi-faceted nature of Sámi life today.  A legacy of 19th century colonial policies and attitudes is that Sámi are still most often identified with their unique reindeer-herding tradition, although the vast majority of Sámi practice other livelihoods. Reindeer-herding, whilst important, represents only a part of Sámi’s rich culture, livelihoods and spiritual traditions – much of them overlooked. Certain pieces of legislation – on standing in cases concerning land use and natural resource extraction, for instance – still privilege reindeer-herding Sámi. Other Sámi land rights are generally ignored, despite the fact that fishing, hunting and tourism are important sources of income for the community as well. The Swedish state allows between 300 and 500 reindeer per family. If a herder depends more upon non-herding sources of income, their membership in the herding collective with accompanying resource rights can be questioned. The herding unit, the sameby (the word means ‘Sámi village’, although it actually refers to a geographic area and an economic association), can engage in no economic activity other than reindeer-herding. Currently, only 10 per cent of Sámi in Sweden belong to a sameby.

Reindeer-herding is regulated in the Reindeer Husbandry Act, where Sámi rights have been collectively referred to as reindeer husbandry rights. The Act gives those Sámi who engage in traditional reindeer grazing the right to use land and water for their own maintenance and that of their reindeer. This right is based on tradition from time immemorial and is protected in the Swedish Constitution. It belongs to the Sámi people and may be exercised by any member of a sameby. There are 51 sameby’s for reindeer herding, whose Sámi members are entitled to pursue reindeer herding. A member of a sameby has the right to hunt and fish on outlying land in reindeer grazing mountains in Jämtland and in the traditional grounds of the Sámi people. This right to hunt or fish applies regardless of who owns the land.

While in theory the Swedish Supreme Court acknowledges Sámi land rights, in practice these rights and Sámi land ownership are controversial and therefore frequently disregarded. As elsewhere in Scandinavia, the growth in extractive industries and tourism poses a threat to herding and the traditional Sámi way of life. For example, because of concerns about damage caused by Sámi reindeer to settlers’ property, herding and farming have ostensibly been kept apart. Problematically, however, a significant area of that territory officially designated as herding land is unusable as pasture. In the hope of resolving this issue, in September 2005 the Swedish government asked the Board of Agriculture to negotiate an agreement on winter reindeer grazing between Sámi villagers and Swedish landowners. In May 2006, the government extended the negotiating period until the end of that year.

Following an extended legal campaign, in 2016 the Gällivare District Court found that Sámi could claim exclusive rights to control hunting and fishing as part of a broadened understanding of land rights. In the case of Girjas sameby versus the state, the court agreed with the sameby’s argument that the state had infringed on their traditional rights by the granting of hunting and fishing licences to non-Sámi. The Swedish state has, however, appealed the decision.

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples has suggested that there is an ongoing need to enhance the ability of Sámi to influence decision-making, especially in light of the Sámi parliament’s limited role as an advisory body with minimal decision-making power. Furthermore, there are ongoing concerns that the dual role of the Sámi parliament as representative body and government agency undermines its representation of Sámi interests as it is required to implement Swedish state policies. Calls for greater political autonomy of the Sámi parliament exist as part of a broader agenda for Sámi self-determination within the Swedish state.

Ref.: https://minorityrights.org/minorities/sami-3/

The Sami Today

Today, the Sami continue to face discrimination and many history books do not even elaborate on the Sami people. In fact, many in Scandinavia know more about the Native Americans of the United States than the Sami people of Scandinavia. Additionally, many Sami people today do not disclose that they actually are Sami and a large percentage of them have assimilated into mainstream Scandinavian society. While there were efforts to recognize the Sami as a marginalized people and implement programs to help them out of economic poverty, many politicians believe that enough time has passed and that these programs should be removed.

Moreover, many Sami living in northern areas of Scandinavia who try to maintain the ancient lifestyles of their ancestors unfortunately see their lands being taken away by lumber and logging companies. Governments also intervene in some cases seizing land from the Sami and later justifying it on the grounds that it’s needed for environmental green energy purposes. While green energy and alternative renewable resources are very important in this day and age, it is disrespectful to seize land from people and not compensate them for it.

Also, it is unknown how many Sami are currently living in Scandinavia today. Since their numbers are much smaller than before and many died through disease, colonization and forced relocation, there have been parallels drawn between the Sami of Scandinavia and the indigenous people of the Americas. On another note, many Sami people do not actively report that they are Sami and after a number of generations, many have assimilated into Scandinavian society and are now indistinguishable from the rest of the population. While some scholars would be outraged and rightfully should be, it is disturbing to consider that this is a trend that has been seen in various other cultures and places such as Japan and its Ainu people, the United States and its Native American population, the British and the aboriginals of Australia and others.

Ref.: https://prospectjournal.org/2016/10/31/the-sami-a-disappearing-indigenous-minority-in-scandinavia/

 

We request United Nations should intervene in the persecution of Sami native population, stop Sweden to stop Destroying the Sami native land and protect the Environmental damage to their land.

Note: This petition will be sent to UN, UN Human Rights group, US President Joe Biden. Please support us.