Yesterday we were informed that the municipality has officially applied to demolish our house. This is being done by Mayor Conradi bypassing the municipal council and thus acting deeply undemocratic in a politically charged issue like this.
We are not surprised by this effort to silence our legitimate protest. This procedure goes in the direction of how an oppressive regime would act, and stands as an example of the sad state of democracy in Norway. At the same time, this was to be expected as another step in the broader false democratic process and AI hallucinations, which the local population has already experienced, to push through Chemring’s new factory despite all local resistance.
In order to avoid a political discussion with the members of the coalition, she made it a purely administrative task. This means that none of the members of the municipality had the opportunity to vote against the demolition of what has become an important symbol for protecting Hurummarka. They are hiring a private contractor because then they don’t need an official reason to demolish. Conradi’s attempt to silence this protest and remove us without having to be held accountable indicates that she and her supporters lack a basic understanding of the important role protest has for a vibrant democracy.
We urge all residents of Hurum and Asker and those concerned about the forest and the fjord to ask themselves:
- How can it be that the municipality is willing to invest so much tax money in demolishing this building, but refuses to restore the poisoned areas in Hurumlandet?
- How can a municipal council, which claims to be sustainable, demolish a fully functional house that after our protest has succeeded will be reused by the public, school and university excursions and other gatherings?
- What value does the argument of defending democracy with ever more explosives have, when this is how the municipality treats legitimate protest?
As another sign of the municipality’s inconsistency, they demanded from their former tenants protection of the culturally valuable painting by local painter Rolf Røskestad (1962), which they are now ready to destroy in silence. This is shown by a quote from the previous lease issued by the municipality: «The walls in the main house are painted by a local artist, directly on the wall, and are being looked after to the best of their ability. The same applies to the fireplace in the main house.»
After finally reaching an agreement with the Asker fire department and agreeing to find an inspection date for the coming week, we are informed of the municipality’s demolition plans. How is it that the municipality first claims to take care of our and others’ safety when it comes to fire safety, and now continues to want to demolish our house without an assessment or a valid reason? We have therefore made another plan to ensure that fire safety is taken care of. We are contacting reliable, independent people from the fire department and an independent electrician to achieve the necessary standards.
Given how our protest is being handled by the municipality, we urge all residents to be vigilant and outspoken in all upcoming steps to enable Chemring’s mega-factory for destruction, a process where even the State Administrator expresses serious concerns for the safety of residents if Tofte harbor becomes a militarized zone and part of an explosives transportation route.
We, the occupiers from Knus Krigsmaskinen, remain courageous and will continue our fight for Hurum. We want a world where future generations, instead of drowning in an increasingly fear-driven, chaotic, egocentric and warmongering world, can live in security, with values such as community, self-determination, care, true democracy and accountability at the center.