Together as Christian students from Finland, Norway and the rest of Europe we call for ecumenical solidarity and speak out about the injustices facing indigenous minorities and local people in Repparfjord, Sápmi. A Canadian company Blue Moons Metals has plans to establish a copper mine there. The project in question is neither legal, environmentally sustainable, socially responsible, nor ethically acceptable. It threatens severe damage to a vulnerable salmon fjord as well as violates the rights of Sámi reindeer herders in the area.

We have sent a joint letter from Student Christian Movements in Finland (@‌skyfks) and Norway (@‌forbundet_nks) and World Student Christian Federation in Europe (@‌wscf.europe) to the United Church of Canada to ask them to advocate for this case directly in Canada.

The Assembly of the World Council of Churches 2022 in Karlsruhe stated that:

“So-called Green and Blue solutions must not be at the expense of poor and vulnerable communities and the already fragile ecosystem. The sourcing of rare earth elements from the land and sea, under the guise of providing alternative pathways, has led to environmental degradation and the suffering of Indigenous Communities who experience this as ‘Green and Blue colonization’.”

It is our calling and responsibility as individual Christians, student organizations and churches to take action against injustices towards Indigenous Communities. We call for the United Church of Canada to join us in this commitment and we also call our members to take action!

You can:
👉 Follow @‌reddrepparfjord which is the instagram account driven by Reppafjord activists and share information
👉 Sign a petition agains Hartree Partners, a U.S. investment firm financing the start of the mining project. You can sign the petition in https://naturvernforbundet.no/demand-that-hartree-pulls-out-of-repparfjord/ (Link also in @‌skyfks bio)

This statement is an outcome from a training week of SCM Finland and WSCF-E, in the framework of the “Frame the Future” project. where our students learned about the history and culture of Sami people. The purpose of learning is to be able to take action and fulfill our calling as Christians in this world. Please join us in this work!