We take great inspiration from historical and international battles against large infrastructure projects. An Aktiv Forsvart Sone (Actively Defended Zone) is a Norwegian version of the French ZAD (Zone á Défendre). This is an occupation of houses or areas to physically block a decommissioning project, such as the explosives factory. But building an AFS is more than occupying something. It also includes establishing new relationships with each other through horizontal and solidarity-based organizing, in addition to nourishing deeper relationships with a place that does not count in the capitalist system, such as Hurummarka.

ZADs have won several fights already. The most famous one is the ZAD Notre-Dame-des-Landes near Nantes in France. Here, the Zadists stopped an airport that was to be built and in this way saved around 1600 hectares of wildlife and nature. There were demonstrations with up to 40000 people. The variety of tactics being encouraged – more than being carried away by the police and receiving heavy fines – are part of the ZADs’ successes. A ZAD is people’s power in practice and is a tactic that is becoming more and more common in several countries from within Europe to the so-called “United States”, where comparable tactics have been used by indigenous peoples since the beginning of their colonization.

The masks are self-defense. History teaches us that appeals to those in power, despite the pacifist myths surrounding Gandhi or King, are not enough to tear down structures of domination, exploitation and extermination. To stop the capitalist death machine, to fight for justice and total liberation, we must take matters into our own hands: By establishing an Aktiv Forsvart Sone (Active Defense Zone) in Hurummarka, we are adding onto the existing civil and state-controllable resistance. The state, the politicians, and the powerful do not follow their own rules of the game, why should we? But self-organization and direct action can be accompanied by repression. We mask ourselves to protect ourselves and build a resilient, uncontrollable, and thus effective resistance.

Read more about the myths surrounding Gandhi or King and about a diversity of tactics.

We will not spend much energy on being interviewed by the press, because the press is locked in a system where they basically uphold the interests of the state and capital. Our goal is not press reports (which are almost never good), but to establish grassroots organizing.

Corporate and state media are never neutral, especially when reporting on anti-industry and anti-state protesters like us. No matter what we say or how often, our arguments will be diluted, our words distorted, and our motivations will not be considered. All our arguments are available on our website. If you have another question that hasn’t been answered, send an email and you may get an answer – or not. But don’t come here to take photos or interviews without being invited.

The intense arms race that leads to global rearmament will not lead to peace, as weapons are destructive in and of themselves. To achieve peace, one cannot support an industry that profits from war.

The factory is not to be built for self-defense, but to maintain imperialist and colonial projects. Chemring Nobel AS is wholly owned by British Chemring Group PLC, where American BlackRock and Vanguard are the largest shareholders. 90% of Chemring Nobel’s explosives go abroad – mostly to the US military (Lockheed Martin, SpaceX and Northrop Grumman), and thus immediately to the genocidal regime of so-called “Israel” or to wars over resources such as in Iran. NATO is the world’s largest military empire and already spends at least 10 times more on the military than Russia, so the narrative of self-defense is a diversion from NATO’s (and Norway’s) ongoing imperialist and bloody wars over land and resources.

Weapons and explosives produced in Norway continue to weaponize Israel’s colonial genocide in Palestine. We must tear ourselves away from the belief that our security is maintained by having the largest and most weapons.

Rearmament also reinforces Norway’s internal colonialism in Sápmi, where several mines, highways, power development and military bases (the United States has access to 15 bases in Sápmi) are being built to meet the material needs of the state and the war machine.

As a result of the measures described in their roadmap, Chemring and the Ministry of Defense have presented a feasibility study for the construction of a new factory at Hurum. It states that a new plant will not be ready until 2030, and full production capacity will not be reached until 2032. If the purpose of building the factory is to support Ukraine with weapons, this presupposes continued war in Ukraine for at least another six years. This must be considered a highly speculative scenario.

Solidarity cannot mean becoming part of the war machine. The argument of supplying weapons and defense to “help-seeking countries” is an old diversion from “helping countries” to get rid of old equipment while renewing their own arsenal. This is happening because of the capitalist model the industry operates under, in which production is always expected to grow. True solidarity can only come by cutting all economic and political ties with Russia. We thus understand that our anti-state stance and actions demonstrate solidarity with all people who are oppressed and under military attack, in Ukraine and elsewhere.

Our newly occupied house in Avgrunnsdalen will become a self-run social center for a world based on solidarity, and will be a good neighbor to Rødbysetra Activity Center for children and young people. This means using the building and the materials here to encourage more people to understand how we can give voice to the power of the people in our society. A place where everyone can gather and spread love. The place that was to be used for the aggressive war machine should instead stand as a beacon on the path to peace. This also means that the house should serve as a memorial for all those who have been killed or have lost a loved one as a result of imperialist wars.

By talking about the matter with friends and acquaintances, we ensure a more inclusive democracy where capital interests are not allowed to override local, social and nature’s interests. People need people; it’s easy to feel powerless, which is why we want to build strong, stable and diverse communities. We are creating a space where we share resources and knowledge, so that people can build up grassroots initiatives on their own.

Join us for bonfire nights on Wednesdays at 7:00 p.m. and waffles on Saturdays.

If you’re interested in coming here and participating in person, please contact us by email.