Author: editor

Norway cares deeply about its image as a “peace nation”, and one of the clearest symbols of this is the Nobel Peace Prize, whose winners were announced on Friday, 9th of October, 2026.

However, while speaking about peace out of one side of its mouth, the norwegian state allows companies like Nammo and Kongsberg Gruppen to profit from war and genocide. It also plans to build Europe’s largest military explosives factory in Hurummarka, and is funding the company behind this, Chemring Nobel, with almost 390 million kroners of public money throughout 2026 and 2027. Chemring Nobel produces explosives which are critical to the US, german and israeli military industry, including the genocide in Palestine, and in supporting them the norwegian state expands militarisation at all costs.

How ironic that Chemring Nobel and the peace prize both lead back to the same Alfred Nobel, the inventor of dynamite, who created this prize to wash the blood off his hands.

But what does peace even mean if norwegian companies produce crucial components for the bombs, fighter jets and missiles used on Gaza, Venezuela and Iran? If Norway as a nation state is built on the ongoing colonization of Sápmi? If the state owned Statkraft profits from the colonization of Indigenous territories in Latin America through hydropower development? If Equinor is operating and extracting in nearly 30 countries? 

If we open our eyes, we understand that peace is a concept invented and maintained by those in power only to preserve their power. Through the eyes of oppressed peoples, peace can not exist before there is justice. In the oppressor’s narrative, peace is when oppression is not confronted and everything is “in order”. Resistance, on the other hand, is framed as violent and extremist, although this rupture is neccessary for liberation.

The Norwegian state’s attempt to uphold its image as a peace nation whilst actively contributing to and profiting from war, colonization, and genocide is nothing but a farce, meant to blind us from the reality that the war industry is soon Norway’s second biggest industry after oil and gas. Within this context, the Nobel Peace Prize becomes nothing more than a distraction and a symbol of Norwegian hypocrisy. 

But even worse than a mere distraction, the peace prize itself becomes a tool of war and domination by giving legitimacy to powerful political figures. Just last year, a US-government-funded far-right coup leader won the peace prize and tried to pass it on to Trump. Awarding the peace prize to Machado gave her politics public legitimacy, which built the neccessary foundation on which the US could use F-35 fighter jets (partly norwegian made) during the coup.

Behind the scenes we also see that the Oslo diplomats Terje Rød Larsen (also leader of International Peace Institute) and Mona Juul were part of the corrupt Epstein-class. Torbjørn Jagland, former Prime minister of Norway and chair of the Nobel Committee also kept a close relationship with Epstein for 8 years. The ethno-nationalist Asle Toje, deputy leader of the Norwegian Nobel committee, is a member of the Swedish far-right think tank Oikos which sponsored the nazi-founded Sweden Democrats with 5 million SEK anonymously and continues to fund the party. Toje also has been a supporter of the identitarian movement in Europe.

The peace prize and the production of weapons or explosives are part of the same military-industrial complex and its agenda of global domination and control over people, land and resources. 

Even if this year’s winner can be seen as a (more) legitimate holder of a peace prize, the institution of the Nobel Peace Prize itself must be understood as what it is: a distraction from what all states uphold and reinforce, namely violent borders, resource wars and genocides. Through this mechanism, the Nobel peace prize becomes a weapon in itself.

Come to the forest now to fight for a more just world, one without war factories and the industries of genocide, which no (peace) state will ever dismantle itself.

Knus Krigsmaskinen! Knus the peace prize!

Today marks six months since we established the Active Defense Zone (AFS) in Hurummarka. We’re celebrating by occupying a new building: fhe abandoned fire tower on the highest peak in Hurummarka, Stikkvannskollen.

The 99-year-old fire tower was used to monitor Hurummarka and large parts of Eastern Norway for forest fires. We feel compelled to take up a watch in the fire tower to protect Hurummarka from Chemring Nobel and the Ministry of Defense’s explosive plans, which will burn forests, people and the planet.

More and more people are realizing that this may be the most important struggle to wage right now for justice and liberationg, because Chemring Nobel’s exclusive production of high explosives is fundamental to the imperialist wars waged by the U.S. and Israel. Chemring Nobel is a bottleneck in the war machine.
That is why it is important for everyone with a beating heart to get involved in this case however you can – whether that means staying at the AFS or plastering Oslo with stickers…

We are guarding Hurummarka from the fire tower until the plans for explosives are extinguished.

Crush the war machine!

An art piece titled “Sound of War” has also been installed in the tower. Old cannon shells have been transformed into bells that warn of war and fire approaching Hurummarka.

Today, Thursday, September 10, Asker Municipality discussed its position regarding the expansion of the Chemring Nobel factory in Hurummarka.

Outside the municipal offices in Røyken, around 40 people gathered to protest against this expansion plan. Together with Folkeaksjonen for Hurummarka (Grassroots Action for Hurummarka) and other local residents, the group “Knus Krigsmaskinen!” (Crush the War Machine!) made it clear once again: Chemring Nobel is already participating in colonial and genocidal wars, while simultaneously heavily polluting the area around the Oslo Fjord and poisoning and destroying vital ecosystems. Permitting this expansion would further exacerbate these problems and – contrary to most Norwegians’ self-image – reinforce Norway’s role in the global arms race.

In its statement today, Asker Municipality chose not to shoulder its responsibility to oppose this obviously harmful project. Instead, they are advising the state to push through the expansion plans, thereby becoming complicit in genocide and ecocide.

They are already working toward this complicity by using every possible means to demolish the house in Avgrunnsdalen. Although Akershus County Municipality recommended this week that “usable buildings should not be demolished,” Asker Municipality appears ready to spend 1.2 million [kroner] to tear down a house inhabited by activists. This is clearly a political decision that the municipality attempted to slip through under the guise of a building permit matter. Further details on this can be found below.

Today has shown that “Knus Krigsmaskinen!” stands shoulder to shoulder with Folkeaksjonen and other local groups, and together we will crush the war machine!

Crush the War Machine!

---

More information:

New findings on all fronts and something fishy going on in the Hurum area

Several things don’t add up regarding the demolition of the house in Avgrunnsdalen. The demolition job in Avgrunnsdalen was commissioned for 1.2 million – six days before the permit was actually issued – through a process that appears to have been pre-approved. It was scheduled to take place as quickly as possible right after the holidays, with private security hired in case there was “some unpleasant attention surrounding this” (according to Petter von Malchus at Aktiv Veidrift AS).

Spending 1.2 million to demolish a house occupied by activists is a political decision that the municipality tried to sneak through as a routine building matter. In April, the Municipal Director stated:

“Given the political nature of the case, the Municipal Director believes the correct approach is to limit the response to outlining the alternatives” (regarding how to deal with us).

In his latest letter to the County Governor, he states:

“In the Municipal Director’s assessment, this is therefore a demolition case that touches upon an ongoing public debate, but not a demolition case that in itself entails such fundamental or political considerations that the decision should have been made by an elected body.”

So, this is a demolition case that suddenly arose after the house had stood empty for two years – occurring just months after we occupied the house, and in an area where an explosives factory is planned for the future. Akershus County Municipality, however, holds the view that “in general, we recommend that usable buildings not be demolished, from a resource perspective.”

New archaeological findings subject to automatic preservation
On May 4, 2026, Akershus County Municipality wrote to Chemring Nobel – with copies to Forsvarsbygg (the Norwegian Defence Estates Agency) and Asker Municipality – stating that the archaeological survey of the planned site for the new explosives factory had identified three sites dating back to the Early Stone Age. There may be more, yet we find no statement from Asker Municipality regarding these discoveries.

According to Chemring Nobel itself, soil investigations using a tracked drilling rig began at the site on September 4, 2026, even though there is no documentation confirming whether the survey of the rest of the area has been completed.

Many processes have been set in motion to create the impression that the factory’s location has not yet been decided. But we shouldn’t be surprised when the process suddenly kicks into high gear overnight. The war economy has no time to lose; it cares nothing for lives, nature, or a future, livable world.

We continue the fight against Multiconsult, Norconsult, the State, Chemring, and Asker Municipality.

Smash the war machine!

Once again, the municipality has come up with a reason to remove us from Avgrunnsdalen. After nearly three months in Avgrunnsdalen, suddenly safety has become a concern for the municipality.

Here are some important points regarding fire safety:

• The fire department was willing to provide us with the equipment we needed to improve fire safety in the house, but the municipality refused.
• We have also contacted the fire department and are open to reaching an agreement to explore how we can improve fire safety together.
• The gate is open to the fire department but not to the police, the municipality, or Norconsult, which is conducting fieldwork.
• No one sleeps in the house anymore. The house has become a gathering place for opponents in the fight against Chemring Nobel and the war machine. Many of us have also made ourselves at home in the nooks and crannies of Avgrunnsdalen. That’s why different fire safety measures apply — something the municipality doesn’t seem to have realized.

Caring about safety means not building one of Europe’s largest explosives factories, which would put the local population, the forest, and the animals on Hurum at risk.

The fieldwork to be carried out by Norconsult between June and September this year also says a lot about where this is headed. The planning program is not yet complete, and Tofte has not yet been confirmed as the chosen location.
The planning program is supposed to establish the framework for the environmental impact assessment, which is not happening here. This process is being carried out on behalf of Forsvarsbygg, and we know what the outcome will be. We’ve seen it before, and nature and people are losing once again. The process is far from transparent, and drilling for environmental samples likely began on December 9, 2024, without a permit. Several witnesses have reported this.
We cannot trust this sham process, which keeps coming up with new
reasons to drive us out. We are not going to budge, and the fight
against the explosives factory has only just begun.

Knus Krigsmaskinen

Around fifty people have gathered for a protest camp against Chemring Nobel in Hurummarka. Workshops and Concerts aim to bring joy to the occupied forests threatened by the planned war explosives factory. As the existing production plant in Sætre has dumped toxic waste into Oslofjord on multiple occasions, local critics are expecting similar pollution from the new facility.

Laila Faraj, spokesperson for Knus Krigsmaskinen, explains: “We have gathered to defend Hurummarka forest with our bodies. Chemring Nobels expansionist plans are a threat to water, birds and people. As long as we are living on the land, the factory cannot be built.”

During the camp, the activists will host “Direct Action Workshops” and “Talks with Local Community” to teach people how to block the construction of the war explosives factory. 

“We’re happy to see many people willing to take action against Chemring Nobel. We are standing at a site of future destruction and can only imagine the pain felt by those suffering the impacts of war today. It’s our responsibility to stop wars before they are even produced.”, says Fred Haugland, spokesperson of Knus Krigsmaskinen.

More Information and Contacts:
Email: knuskrigsmaskinen.camp@systemli.org
Website: knuskrigsmaskinen.noblogs.org

Journalists are welcome to visit the camp from 22.-28.06. Press representatives can get briefings at the “Info Point”.

Hurum, Monday 11 May: What was supposed to be a model for democratic participation and transparent planning from Forsvarsbygg and Chemring has turned out to be exactly the opposite: a well-directed sham process. The newly launched planning report and the so-called “open meeting” are nothing more than a play designed to give citizens the illusion of influence, while the decisions have already been made.

In a true democratic process, the citizen’s vote is a piece that can change the outcome. In Forsvarsbygg’s case, the citizen’s vote is only decoration. The “People’s Meetings” are held to fill a legal quota, not to hear. The report is presented as a prepackaged truth, where the discussion points are so narrowly defined that real criticism is made impossible. The process was never meant to be open to change.

Lack of transparency and predetermined outcomes

How has Forsvarsbygg reached its conclusions? Have they changed the criteria or were the criteria decided in advance? We cannot accept that Forsvarsbygg continues to use “open meetings” as an excuse for a lack of real dialogue. A planning process that is not willing to accept criticism and adjust its course is not a planning process, it is a decision-making machine. When Chemring Nobel, Asker municipality, Forsvarsbygg and the state stand together to not let the local population take part in deciding whether there will be an explosives factory in Hurum or not, the local population should take matters into their own hands.

In light of this, people from the recently occupied house in Avgrunnsdalen are invited to a film screening at Forsvarsbygg’s pop-up cinema. A ticket costs NOK 50 and includes popcorn. Tickets can be bought directly in front of the theater at Tofte secondary school. At the entrance, visitors are greeted with “Welcome to the film performance “Democracy! Brød og Sirkus!” directed by Forsvarsbygg, Chemring and Asker Municipality. All decisions have been made, come in to watch the play Democracy!”

We also invite you to our open meetings in Avgrunnsdalen. Boycott or disrupt all of the fake processes that Forsvarsbygg and Asker Municipality set up, support us in Avgrunnsdalen and help build up direct democracy and proper resistance to the war machine! For more information about the time and place of open meetings, send us an email to knuskrigmaskinen@disroot.org.

Crush the War Machine!

Stop Chemring Nobel!

Long live Hurummarka!

Last Monday, Forsvarsbygg and Norconsult sent their new “proposal” for the site plans for Chemring’s explosives factory to Naturvernforbundet (Norwegian Society for the Conservation of Nature). They immediately criticized these plans, as they suddenly affect a much larger area of ​​the forest, nearby sites, streams and lakes than first suggested. In addition, certain criteria have been adjusted in such a way that Hurummarka appears to be the only possible location for this project.

Calling its plan a “proposal”, nothing essential about this factory is up for debate. A “no” to the factory is not – and has never been – a possible answer. The process itself is also set up so that any “investigation” will lead to some minor adjustments to appear as if they care about the environment and the local population.

Instead of being honest about this process, Forsvarsbygg continues the “democratic theater” by inviting citizens to “open meetings”. Later, they also plan special events for children, so that they can have their “opinion” about this explosives factory. We urge everyone to no longer accept this theater and normalize this procedure. We encourage people to boycott and protest this to show how ridiculous it is!

We appreciate Naturvernforbundet’s clearly formulated criticism, but we are not surprised at all. The past months of this pseudo-democratic process, systematically erroneous reports and secretive construction plans should have prepared us for this as the logical next step in the factory’s planning process.

During the last few weeks, there has been strong local support for Knus Krigsmaskinen’s clear anti-militaristic message and creative form of action – especially as a response to the locally strongly criticized democratic process.

This new plan makes it clear under which financial interests and time pressure this project must be pushed through.

They claim that they must produce more weapons to ensure peace. But what is their peace if it costs human life and the environment? Peace in a rich capitalist society like Norway is simply war by other means, in other countries. Security for people does not occur through governments’ war policies. It arises through self-organisation, discussion and solidarity between people. States produce wars, people defend lives.

Crush the War Machine!

Squatted house in Avgrunnsdalen, Hurummarka, where a planned explosives factory is supposed to be built.

Today we established an Actively Defended Zone (Aktivt Forsvart Sone – AFS) in the abandoned military barrack in Avgrunnsdalen, Hurummarka.

We support the local community in defending Hurummarka against the Ministry of Defence and Chemring Nobel’s plans for Europe’s biggest explosives factory. If built, this factory would become an essential part of the profit oriented military industrial complex.

While Chemring Nobel gets permission to increase their pollution of the Oslo Fjord, people who have fished and nourished themselves from the Fjord their entire lives will be criminalized if they continue to do so. The Norwegian State is running a sham democratic process and supports Chemring Nobel with hundred of millions (NOK) meanwhile the local municipalities have to pay for the restoration of the Fjord themselves.

The woods will be destroyed, despite the 53 red listed species registered in the construction area. All of these species are fundamental for the ecosystem in the area.

The factory will further enrich shareholders and owners and is not being built for self defense despite their claims. In turn, they keep expanding the war machine and the US Empire. Chemring Nobel is 100% owned by British Chemring Group PLC, where american BlackRock is the biggest shareholder. BlackRock is accused of serious human rights violations while also destroying ecosystems globally. 90% of Chemring Nobel’s production is exported to other countries, most of it going to the US weapons industry like Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman and SpaceX, and is therefore directly linked to the genocidal regime called israel.

We know that the explosives produced by Chemring Nobel are used in the american produced Hellfire-missile. These are widely used in israel’s genocide on Palestinians. Chemring Nobel and Nammo secured themselves a twelve year agreement with german Diehl Defense last year, which entails exporting ammunition to the German military. Diehl Defence itself is in close cooperation with the israeli weapons industry.

Militarization also amplifies Norway’s internal colonialism of Sápmi. Multiple mines, highways, power development and military bases (the US has access to 15 military bases in Sápmi) have been built on traditional grazing areas; all this to cover Norway’s and the war machine’s materialistic needs. Norway and the war machine will profit off of genocide and colonialism right here at Hurumlandet, and this needs to be stopped immediately.

The US and NATO are already the biggest military empire the world has ever seen. The narrative of self defense is a distraction from NATO’s and Norway’s ongoing imperialistic and bloody war over land and resources. We need to realize that capitalism and the power hungry elite will never share the peoples’ interests. History has thought us that to follow the state’s rules for protesting will never tear down the structures that dominate, exploit and oppress.

While Trump, Musk, the NATO, EU and the rest of the western power elites talks in the same tone as Goebbels. Their vision is to defend western “civilization” and create jobs in the war industry – WE have visions of a more beautiful world in harmony with the beings around us. One where we can walk through lush forests, listen to birds singing and live alongside the trees, the flowers and all who live around us. One where rivers run free from lead and nitrogen, where kids can swim and play in the fjord, where the people can share nature’s gift fairly amongst each other and with nature itself. This does not only feel like a vision for us, it feels more like a whispering drop of the future.

Rather than becoming a factory of war, our new occupied house in Avgrunnsdalen will become a self-driven social center for a more solidary world, a good neighbor for Rødbysetra Activity center. Armarment and fear mongering does not create safety for humans, animals and the environment, rather it increases the risks for war. Chemring Nobels factory will be a clear target in a potential war~~.~~

Rather than going down in a spiral of apathy and hopelessness we find deep meaning in a loving community that fights for the beautiful world we know is possible. And we need you! Let’s stand side by side in this fight.

Down with all states and their bloody wars!

No peace price to Chemring Nobel!