Activists protest outside Nammo in Raufoss, Norway over alleged arms sales to Israel

Palestinian activists have staged a protest outside the premises of Nammo, a partially state-owned arms manufacturer, claiming the company supplies weapons and weapon parts to Israel. This is not the first protest at Nammo; activists also demonstrated there in December 2023.

Nammo has denied these allegations, asserting that its weapons were sold to the U.S. military nearly a decade ago. However, the Palestinian Committee is demanding that Nammo halt all sales of arms that could aid Israel’s military actions against Palestinians. They also insist that Norwegian export regulations apply to Norwegian-owned factories abroad.

On Thursday morning, activists gathered outside Nammo’s location in Raufoss, with police present. A protestor, Thomassen, stated, “We are chaining ourselves in protest against Nammo and Norway’s complicity in the genocide in Gaza.” They claim that arms made by Nammo are used by Israel in its military operations.

Despite previous denials in December regarding collaboration with Israel, the Palestinian Committee argues that Nammo and the Norwegian government are attempting to evade responsibility by attributing sales to U.S. operations. They contend that some Norwegian-owned factories have directly supplied rockets and ammunition to Israel and have partnered with U.S. defense companies known to send arms to Israel.

Nammo AS, which produces ammunition, rockets, and high-tech weapons, operates more than 28 production sites across 12 countries, employing over 2,700 people. The Norwegian state owns 50% of the company in partnership with the Finnish defense group Patria.

The ongoing conflict in the Middle East has escalated since October 7, 2023, with significant casualties reported on both sides. The Palestinian Committee has laid out specific demands, including the cessation of all arms sales to Israel and the implementation of stricter regulations governing exports from Norwegian-owned companies.