Yesterday, 7th of October, we joined the Palestine solidarity demonstration arranged by Solidaritetsnettverket in Oslo.
We wish to express our grief and sorrow with all those who experienced loss and pain on this day, without separating the events of 7/10 from the larger context of Israels settler colonial project being enforced every day for the past 72 years.
The days leading up to the demonstration in Oslo were filled with heavy bureaucratic and rhetoric attacks on the organizers, leading to several groups dropping out by publicly discrediting the organizers and remaining participants.
We see these dynamics as giving in to a smear campaign supported not least by the Israeli embassy, who urged Oslo municipality to ban the demonstration. This smear campaign aims to divide, confuse and distract us from seeing what is in front of our eyes: that genocide starts here and must be fought here.
Read our speech for more context and our position.
Join the resistance against Chemring Nobel!
Knus Krigsmaskinen!
Here is our speech:
Dear friends and comrades
We are grateful for the opportunity to share with you all today about our struggle, which is inherently a struggle in solidarity with the Palestinian resistance.
For those who don’t know, Knus Krigsmaskinen is an autonomous group of people who defend Hurummarka against the Ministry of Defence and Chemring Nobel’s plans to build Europe’s largest military explosives factory, which would supply the US, German and Israeli militaries with essential components. We inhabit a valley in the forest called Avgrunnsdalen and live in an abandoned cabin, tree houses and an old tower.
We were not suprised to hear about the controversies that the media attempted to manufacture around this demonstration. The rhetoric of terrorism is often used to discredit resistance, while legitimizing the colonial state. The media’s pressure campaign does not come from a place of sympathy with the Israeli civilians. Rather, discussions like this only serves to distract, confuse and undermine the movement.
The rhetorical and bureaucratic attacks on this demonstration can be seen as a part of an increasing repression against the growing Palestine movement. More and more people understand that this fight can and must be fought here, against the Norwegian state and companies complicit in the genocide. This is worth protecting. Therefore it is important for us here today, to demonstrate our resistance and resilience, to stand together in solidarity with Palestine and not let our enemy distract us, divide us, or silence us.
Instead of accusing each other based on moral claims, we must focus on the fact that war, genocide and colonialism is produced and profited on here and that this is what we need to attack, not each other.
One of the clearest examples of such a company i Chemring Nobel. It is a Norwegian company, but fully owned by the British Chemring Group PLC and financed by American investors. 90% of Chemring Nobel’s production is exported abroad – mostly to the American arms industry through companies like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and Space X, and from there, directly to Israel. Last year Chemring and Nammo secured a twelve-year agreement with German Diehl Defence to supply ammunition to the German military. Diehl, in turn, cooperates closely with the Israeli arms industry. On many of its products, Chemring Nobel has a monopoly on the European market, which makes the new factory in Hurummarka a central target in the fight against escalating wars, genocide and imperialism.
We also want to emphasize the limitations of liberal activism. History shows that following the state’s rules for protest is not enough to tear down the structues that dominate, exploit and exterminate. It is time to realize that we can not dismantle the master’s house with the master’s tools.
Our strength lies not in demanding changes from those in power, but in self-organizing struggles that are rooted in the creation of new relationships to land and people. We also warn against any false promises that the system can be reformed, or that an authoritative, illuminated leader can bring us to justice, liberation, a world without genocide, or a society without classes. In order to end genocide, we must take direct action to destroy the structures that are feeding it, and we must build from the ashes, a new world based on mutual aid and genuine solidarity.
Instead of sinking into apathy and hopelessness we find deep meaning in the loving community that fights in and around Avgrunnsdalen together for the better world that we know is possible. Let us stand side by side in this fight.
Down with all states and their bloody wars!
Knus Krigsmaskinen!