OSLO DISTRICT COURT (Nettavisen): On Friday 18 November 2022, Anne Klenge (25) and Joachim Skahjem (26) from the group Stopp Oljeletinga were brought in by the police after littering in Vigelandsparken in Oslo with paint.
The two climate activists will jointly have all orange paint over the Monolith and six other sculptures on the Monolith plateau. They are also said to have painted with brushstrokes on the plinth of the Monolith, which left traces of paint that could not be removed afterwards, according to the indictment.
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– Wanted to defend human rights
On Tuesday, the trial began, which will last two days, where both are accused of intentionally or negligently having committed damage to cultural monuments of particular national or international importance.
The penalty for breaching this section is up to six years in prison.
– The intention was never to damage the statues. The purpose was and is to sound the alarm about Norway’s continued extraction of fossil fuels. With this action, my client believes that they are defending basic human rights, Klenge’s lawyer Cecilie Nakstad told NTB before the trial.
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– My client has explained and will explain in court that the protest was carefully planned and peaceful in nature. The activists had tested the paint on various surfaces, including stones, and chose to use water-soluble paint that is easy to remove.
When the police arrived at Frognerparken, the campaigners were turned away from the scene, but they refused to leave. They are therefore also prosecuted for not complying with police orders. Both deny criminal guilt.
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Represents human collapse
– I’m nervous, but all in all it also feels very good to sit here today, says Anne Klenge when she meets Nettavisen in the district court.
For Klenge, it is important to continue fighting for the climate. In court, she justifies the vandalism of the cultural heritage by saying that the Norwegian state also destroys cultural heritage through the oil policy.
– The Norwegian oil industry is destroying a legacy we will leave to our children. Forests and nature are equally part of this heritage, but the Norwegian oil industry will not be brought to court for destroying this foundation and heritage, she says.
The day they chose to take action was the last day of the COP27 climate summit in Egypt, where, according to Klengen, they justified the oil exploration.
The oil activist justifies the choice of the Monolith as an action target based on the special appearance of the sculpture.
– The human bodies that are piled on top of each other represent, for us, the human collapse. That is what we have in store if we are to continue to promote fossil infrastructure, explains Klenge.
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– Unnerving
Both Klenge and Skahjem are involved in the activist group Stopp Oljeletinga, which had tried to damage the Munch painting “The Scream” at the National Museum a few days earlier.
In 2022, there were several similar actions against well-known paintings elsewhere in Europe, most often in the form of activists gluing themselves or throwing soup, cake or mashed potatoes.
According to Skahjem, these actions also helped to influence the choice of the Monolith.
– Actions against art created much more attention than other actions have done in the past. But then we see that Norwegian oil policy is still the same, so it might not have worked so well after all. Then we’ll have to try something else next time.
He does not feel the authorities are listening, no matter how loudly they shout, and believes the solution is to shout even louder and become more campaigners.
– What do you think about sitting in court today?
– It’s nerve-wracking. I am afraid that the prosecutor will bring forward a severe sentence.
– Was the campaign worth it if you get a prison sentence?
– Yes, the alternative is to sit and watch the climate become unlivable and it won’t be any fun either. I am very afraid of climate change, and on the whole I am more afraid that 2023 was the hottest year we have recorded than I am of a prison sentence, he says.
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– Freedom of speech
Klenge’s defender, Cecilie Nakstad, believes the court must make an overall assessment based on how far the paint could be removed and what type of research the campaigners did in advance to find the paint that was easiest to wash away.
– In summary, society must tolerate a certain amount of disruption, she says.
According to Skahjem’s defender, Trygve Staff, the major distinguishing feature of the case is that the perpetrators sat calmly on the ground after they had thrown paint while waiting for the police to arrive.
– What they had done was to make a statement with a specific purpose, i.e. to stop oil exploration. And this statement, the Norwegian state believes, is a punishable statement because it can be seen as significant damage to cultural heritage. But this applies to the right to express oneself.
As to whether the paint has caused significant damage afterwards, Staff suggested that the court could begin the next day with a trip to the Monolith for an inspection. So that they can see with their own eyes.
– It will be a walk in the park, he says.
The case ends on Wednesday.
