Norway’s government apologizes to Sami reindeer herders

By JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The Norwegian government has apologized to reindeer herders after activists spent a week protesting a wind farm that they say hinders the rights of the Indigenous Sami people in Norway. The country’s oil and energy minister made the apology on Thursday after meeting with the speaker of the Sami Parliament. She says receiving an apology had been “a wish from my side” and “It is important that we now have a common perception that we are dealing with a human rights violation.” At the center of the dispute are 151 turbines in Europe’s largest onshore wind farm. The activists say they violate the rights of the Sami to use the land for reindeer