Palestinian activists protest against Nammo’s alleged arms supply to Israel in Raufoss

Palestinian activists have gathered outside the facilities of Nammo, a partially state-owned weapon manufacturer, accusing the company of supplying weapons and weapon parts to Israel. This demonstration marks another instance of protest, following a similar event in December 2023.

Nammo has denied these allegations, asserting that their arms were sold to the U.S. military nearly a decade ago. Despite this, the Palestinian Committee has called for an immediate halt to all weapon sales that could bolster Israel’s military actions against Palestinians and insists that Norwegian export regulations should be applied to Norwegian-owned factories abroad.

This morning, police were present at the demonstration site in Raufoss, where protester Thomassen stated, “We are chaining ourselves in protest of Nammo and Norway’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza.” The demonstrators allege that weapons and components from Nammo are being utilized in the conflict by Israel.

Nammo, which produces ammunition, rockets, and high-tech weaponry, operates multiple factories across various countries and employs over 2,700 staff. The Norwegian government owns 50% of Nammo, which is further partnered with a Finnish defense group.

In light of the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has resulted in significant casualties on both sides since the escalation on October 7, 2023, the Palestinian Committee is pushing for concrete actions. They demand that Nammo ceases all arms sales that could enable Israel’s operations against Palestinians and that the Norwegian government enforce end-user declarations to prevent the misuse of Norwegian-made weapons.