Swedish Politicians Target Sami Reindeer Rights Before Sept. 13 Vote as LKAB Eyes Rare-Earth Mine
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · Sep 7
Swedish Politicians Target Sami Reindeer Rights Before Sept. 13 Vote as LKAB Eyes Rare-Earth Mine
1 articles · Updated · The Guardian · Sep 7
Summary
Ebba Busch and her Christian Democrats escalated attacks on Sami grazing rights ahead of Sweden’s Sept. 13 election, calling for fewer reindeer, weaker “national interest” status for herding and more state control over herders’ land.
The push is tied to plans to open northern Sweden to mining and nuclear expansion, with ministers arguing mineral extraction is strategically vital for Sweden and Europe as they seek to cut reliance on Chinese imports.
At the center is LKAB’s proposed expansion of its Kiruna iron ore mine into the Per Geijer deposit — Europe’s largest known rare-earth reserve — a project Sami herders say would sever migration routes and threaten their livelihoods.
Sami leaders say the rhetoric has pushed anti-Sami sentiment from local politics into the national campaign, while the far-right Sweden Democrats have also questioned herders’ land rights in their manifesto.
LKAB said the Kiruna expansion remains at an early review stage and that consultations are ongoing, but Sami representatives warn the dispute could become a template for wider industrialization across Sápmi.
Are political leaders weaponizing the strategic need for rare-earth minerals to justify a modern form of internal colonialism against the Sami?
If mining bottlenecks remain in refining rather than extraction, is sacrificing traditional Arctic lands actually solving Europe's supply chain crisis?