Sami reindeer herders protest in Stockholm

STOCKHOLM, Sweden, Nov. 23 (UPI) -- Sami reindeer herders in traditional costume and led by a live reindeer held a protest march Friday in Stockholm, Sweden, over new Norwegian regulations.

The Sami, also called Lapps, are an indigenous group living in Norway, Sweden and Finland.

The group marched to the Norwegian Embassy in the Swedish capital, The Local reported.

The herders accused the Swedish government of failing to help them after a bilateral agreement on reindeer herding ended in 2005. The Norwegian government then adopted its own policy on what pastures could be used by Swedish Sami.

"We can't live with a state that terrorizes and hunts us, despite the fact that we are on our own land," said Per Anders Nutti, who heads Saarivuoma, the group organizing the protest. "We have lived on this land and cultivated it for thousands of years, long before the creation of the Norwegian state."