Activists inside NATO Bombing Range in Sweden

Four peace activists are inside the live-fire bombing range currently being used for a large NATO exercise in Swedish Lapland. Their aim is to draw attention to the preparations for war crimes currently under way under the name of exercise “Loyal Arrow” and to prevent NATO from bombing the area further.

The four, all members of the Swedish anti-militarist network Ofog, have camping equipment and are familiar with the terrain. Ofog have contacted NATO at the Vidsel base, one of two Swedish bases hosting the exercise to inform them that people are inside the bombing range and they cannot continue to drop bombs there. Updates from people inside the base will be posted on the Ofog website.

“NATO cannot be allowed to practice bombing undisturbed. The list of the NATO's war crimes is a long one and now I have the opportunity to do something” said Ellen Holmström, one of the activists currently inside the bombing range.

“NATO functions as a constant threat of war around the world, not a force for peace” said Elsa Berglund. “It is the West's tool to maintain an unfair 'world order'”.

The Vidsel bombing range is a permanent missile test range many tens of kilometers wide. This week it is seeing a lot of extra activity as NATO's air forces practice attacks from the skies over Lapland. In recent years NATOs bombs have hit several Afghani weddings and a Serbian TV station.

Ofog are in northern Sweden all week to protest against and attempt to stop NATOs wargames. NATO's war I Afghanistan has already killed and maimed hundreds of thousands of civilians.

For more information contact +46 733 815361 or royalerror@ofog.org We can reply to queries in either English or Swedish. Information (mainly in Swedish) is also available on http://ofog.org/royalerror