Australian-owned mining company vs. Swedish reindeer ranchers

The town of Kiruna in far north Sweden is home to the largest underground iron mine in the world. Piles of mined earth dwarf the town and smoke churning from the processing plant at the mine's entrance creates the impression of an active volcano.

Lars Jon Allas and his reindeer herd spend their winters in the pastures just outside Kiruna. Allas, whose family has herded reindeer for countless generations, says mine dust can carry kilometres and kills the lichen reindeer eat during winter.

Allas is apprehensive about the mining boom taking place in Sweden: “We have mining exploration everywhere, it's frightening.” Now an Australian company is planning a mining complex just south of Kiruna and Allas's Sami community is determined to stop it.

But increasingly Sami have been engaging in politics, with protests held in the north and Stockholm. This summer activists from across Scandinavia joined Sami and other locals to blockade the British company Beowulf's Kallak mine project in the centre of northern Sweden.

Seamen Staines wrote:
Forgive me but is any business acceptable to you. Reflecting on your posts I can find not a single positive reference to business. Are you Australian?

nicko wrote:
he don't like the brits, i wonder why.

Beekeeper wrote:

nicko wrote:
he don't like the brits, i wonder why.

  

YOU ARE both delusional and paranoid , nicko'...

Some of my most favouritest persons on here are Brits !

Just ask lovedust, FTL, JD, SexyMama, Eilzel, Nems, Irn Bru, CattyMan, and the rest of them !    

feelthelove wrote:

Beekeeper wrote:
  

YOU ARE both delusional and paranoid , nicko'...

Some of my most favouritest persons on here are Brits !

Just ask lovedust, FTL, JD, SexyMama, Eilzel, Nems, Irn Bru, CattyMan, and the rest of them !    

It's true Nicko, we are lovely and have stolen Bee's heart   x

PS - Bee, I've a spare room, I might need a little tuition in those survival techniques if this rain keeps up