Motvind now has more members than Frp and SV – E24

Motvind Norge informs E24 that the number of members has exceeded 17,000. The anti-wind energy organization began welcoming members in October last year.

– We now have more members than SV and Frp, says President E claim Salen in Motvind Norway to E24.

FRP has 15,600 members, while SV has 15,165 members. Among the largest parties, the Conservatives have almost 30,000 members, while the Labor Party has 50,000 members.

– People see that we do part of the work that the public authorities should have done. We give voice to those affected by wind energy and work for their rights, says Salen.

The headwinds are higher than, for example, Nature and Youth with 9,000 members, but lower than Greenpeace Norway with 20,000, the Nature Conservation Association with 35,000 and Future in our hands with 38,000 members.

The headwinds rally the opponents of the wind across the country and, according to the statutes, they want to stop all development of wind power in Norway.

Now the new organization is going to be built. This week, Motvind announced two positions at the head office at Ekebergveien in Oslo, as head of personnel and development and as communications consultant.

This is how they are financed

The contingent at Motvind is NOK 200 per year, which means that the organization will receive around NOK 3.4 million per year.

Additionally, Motvind has an ongoing fundraiser for the Spleis service. Adding up several previous Spleis collections, the organization has raised NOK 1.7 million.

– People are pissed off. They happily pay the money. There are several collections at Spleis, and we also receive gifts that are deposited directly into our account, says Salen.

The organization also has a collaboration with the Tax Justice Network, which has raised NOK 103,000 to investigate where the money from Norwegian wind energy is going.

The CEO of salmon producer Salmar, Gustav Witzøe, for a time financed the expenses of a lawyer for local opponents of the wind in Frøya. Since then he’s done with this. According to Motvind, he does not support them as an organization.

1.3 million in legal costs

The headwind recently tried to stop the development of the wind at Vardafjell in Sandnes. It ended with a defeat in court and legal costs of 1.3 million crowns.

According to NRK, Headwind intends to sue eight wind projects. It will cost money. If Modvind loses more cases, it may require more money in the coffers.

– At least we have enough money to support the lawsuits on Øyfjellet and Vardafjell. We also see that when something provocative happens that is mentioned in the media, gifts come to us, says Salen.

– Meets ignorance

Resistance can also cost the individual money. Headwind has asked people who want to break the traffic ban in Haramsøya.

According to the police, this can result in fines and consequences for future job choices, education and travel.

The chairman of the board will not ask himself for breaking the law.

– It’s a very difficult case, that. We have tried legal and democratic means, we have complained as much as possible. But we feel that we are facing ignorance and closed doors. The stakes are high here. Should one lie down or should one fight? asks the Hall.

– Can be emergency brake

Philosopher and professor Andreas Føllesdal of the University of Oslo says there is a long tradition of civil disobedience. He refers, among other things, to the protests against the Alta hydroelectric plant in the 1970s, and says that the public sector sometimes fails.

– So civil disobedience can be a form of emergency brake, where illegal but non-violent means are used. Then you can show that you respect the rule of law, but that you think something is wrong, Føllesdal tells E24.

This does not necessarily mean that those who protest are always right, nor is it certain that the bet on wind energy will continue over time. But sometimes changes to the system are needed if people feel they are not being taken into account in consultation processes, he says.

– If people are under the impression that everything is predetermined and that it should only be recorded that all parties have been heard, then you can create a compromise, says Føllesdal.

– It can be educational

The professor also emphasizes that politicians must follow a comprehensive policy, despite pressure from groups that focus on one issue. They need to increase budgets and weigh environmental considerations against other important considerations, like ensuring enough power.

– Do you mean that such a movement is positive for democracy?

– This type of reaction I think is beneficial for democracy in the long term. At least to the extent that they occur within a non-violent framework, says Føllesdal.

– It is an issue that forces us to think about what frameworks and processes we must have in order for majority democracy to be worth our respect. In that sense, it can be instructive, says the professor.

– Much has gone wrong

– A lot of things have gone wrong, says special adviser Andreas Thon Aasheim at the wind industry organization Norwea.

He believes that Norway will need both wind and hydropower, but that the power industry and the authorities have not been good enough to communicate this.

– There, the industry has failed, of that there is no doubt, he says.

Aasheim believes that politicians should also dare to say that Norway needs more wind power to achieve climate goals.

– There has been a perception that we build almost for fun, just to transport electricity to Germany so that they have a better climate awareness. But the reason we are developing a lot of wind power now is that a unanimous Storting voted in favor and because there is a need for energy if we are to electrify Norway and create new and future-oriented jobs, says Aasheim.

Aasheim believes that much of the opposition can be traced back to last year’s NVE National Wind Energy Framework, where 13 areas were highlighted as relevant to wind energy. Many actors reacted and feared the demolition of these areas.

– The intentions were good, but unfortunately it was a stomach ache. What was supposed to defuse conflict led instead to the opposite, Aasheim says.

There is also a lot of wind power being developed right now, he notes.

– And we know from research that those who have a project under construction at the local level are the ones who are most against wind energy. The most positive are those who have had a project in place for some time, says Aasheim.

You want a broader commitment

Greenpeace leader Frode Pleym has noticed the growth in Headwind membership. He interprets it as a positive sign that people are committed to local nature.

– We like to see that those who are committed to wind energy also have a broader commitment to climate and nature issues. But the fact that people get involved in nature or the climate they experience is threatened, it is basically a positive thing, he tells E24.

– But this is also complex. We must have energy, the challenge is to balance energy development and energy saving measures to achieve climate goals, says Pleym.