Norway apologises to Sámi, Forest Finns and Kvens for forced assimilation policy

Parliament votes to express ‘deepest regret’ over more than a century of ‘Norwegianisation’ of minorities

The Norwegian parliament has apologised unreservedly to minority groups and Indigenous people for more than a century of historical injustices committed against them as part of its “Norwegianisation” policy.

The forced assimilation policy – which included state-run boarding schools that banned minority languages and the forced relocation of whole villages – pursued by Norwegian authorities dated back to the 18th century and became official policy from 1851. Although parts were phased out in the 1960s, much of the policy continued into the 1980s.