Norwegian activist acquitted over Gaza protest as police appeal again

A district court ruling has cleared four Palestinian rights activists—including a woman whose relatives in Gaza were under bombardment—of fines for a 2024 protest outside Norway’s parliament, though police have again appealed the decision.

The case centres on Rana Ahmed (44), who was notified of her acquittal in Oslo District Court just days after the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr. “It feels like I’ve been given an Eid gift,” she told Dagbladet, describing the ruling as a victory for freedom of expression and assembly.

Ahmed and three fellow “green” activists—who, unlike “red” protesters, comply with police orders—had faced fines for a May 2024 demonstration on Løvebakken, outside the Storting. The action coincided with Israel’s offensive in Rafah, where Ahmed’s cousin Nidal and his family were later displaced by heavy bombing.

The court accepted the activists’ claim that they had not understood police instructions to move, as “red” protesters blocked the parliament entrance. Two “red” activists from the same protest were last year fined NOK 16,000 in a separate, now legally binding ruling.

Prosecutors had initially sought NOK 16,000 fines for the “green” group, later halved to NOK 8,000. “If I’d done something wrong, I’d have paid gladly—but this was a matter of principle,” Ahmed said. “I’d rather send that money to my cousin in Gaza.”

Nidal, now back in Gaza City after fleeing south, told Dagbladet that bombing persists despite an October ceasefire, a claim echoed by reports from outlets like the BBC. Ahmed criticised police for targeting “peaceful protesters during a genocide” instead of criminals, and accused Norway of profiting from the occupation via its sovereign wealth fund’s investments.

The activists’ lawyer, Marit Lomundal Sæther, called the ruling “crucial for peaceful demonstrators,” though she disputed the court’s finding that her clients had acted “negligently” by not clarifying police orders. The judgment noted they were lawfully detained and held in custody cells as a result.

Oslo police prosecutor Håkon Sjøvold confirmed the acquittal has been appealed to the Court of Appeal over legal interpretation, following two Supreme Court rulings requiring courts to assess whether fines and police measures collectively constitute a “disproportionate interference” with assembly rights. “There are no comparable cases before the courts,” Sjøvold noted.

In 2024, Israeli airstrikes levelled much of Rafah, including residential blocks where families like Nidal’s had lived. Ahmed’s group, the Action Group for Palestine, has long campaigned against Norwegian financial ties to companies involved in the occupation.