Ockupation Stockholm

Artikel2 is a Swedish non-profit organization that combines second-hand retail, work integration, and international solidarity work to promote a fair and sustainable world. Through its stores in Stockholm, it supports circular consumption, provides job training opportunities, and funds human rights initiatives, with a particular focus on Western Sahara’s right to self-determination.

Every day, conflicts around the world appear in news feeds and push notifications — but not all receive the same attention. One of them is Western Sahara, occupied by Morocco for over 50 years, where many Sahrawis continue to live in exile in refugee camps. Despite its long history, the conflict remains largely absent from public awareness due to limited media coverage and ongoing restrictions on journalism. As a result, awareness of both the conflict and Artikel2’s long-standing support for Western Sahara and human rights remains low. This insight led to the idea of giving the conflict visibility in the public sphere by occupying spaces across Stockholm.

Artikel2 confronts the silence surrounding one of the world’s most overlooked conflicts - Morocco’s occupation of Western Sahara. The PR-campaign, Occupation Stockholm, brings the conflict into public view by occupying spaces across Stockholm with bold orange interventions that interrupt everyday routines and demand attention. Public environments such as restaurants, public transport, outdoor advertising spaces, and digital platforms are transformed into reminders of a conflict that rarely appears in mainstream media or public discourse. Through collaborations with restaurants, transit networks, and media partners, the campaign integrates Western Sahara into the everyday urban landscape, creating visible and unavoidable moments that spark curiosity, conversation, and awareness.