How is mining in Sweden affecting Indigenous Saami communities?

In 2022, the Swedish government granted an exploitation concession to Jokkmokk Iron Mines AB — a subsidiary of British company named Beowulf Mining — to develop an open-pit iron mine in Northern Sweden. The decision has been opposed by both Indigenous and environmental activists, who have expressed concerns about the mine’s impacts on Saami communities and the surrounding ecology.

Bertie speaks to Tor Tuorda about the long history of extraction and exploitation in the region, the erasure of Saami culture, and resistance from Indigenous and environmental activists. 

Tor Tuorda is a nature photographer and Indigenous campaigner based in Jokkmokk. He is a long-time opponent of the Kallak mine, and a prominent voice in Saami activism. 

Audio engineering by Vasko Kostovski. 

Further reading: 

• Read Tor's blog here [Swedish]
• 'EU’s raw materials plan an attack on Indigenous land and culture, says Saami Council', The Barents Observer, April 2025
• 'Swedish Court gives green light to controversial mining plans in Kallak', The Barents Observer, June 2024
• '‘The Klondike of ore mining’: Fighting for the Sami way of life', Al Jazeera, 2019

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