Tempers here are reaching the boiling point as protestors took to the streets for a second day, calling for new elections and, in some cases, even a new constitution. If you’ve been following my twitter stream, you know that it has been an interesting evening in the capital of Iceland.
Earlier this evening, the Reykjavík council of the left-leaning party Samfylkingin held a meeting in which they voted unanimously to break ranks with the governing coalition and force new elections this spring. The government won’t fall tomorrow, as the party as a whole still needs to vote on the issue, but protestors have informed me that this is a huge step in the right direction. The Reykjavík council represents a majority of the party’s constituency.
Protesting quickly turned to celebration, with people dancing in the streets and making plenty of noise. Protestors made their way back to Austurvollur, where they lit another bonfire, and nearly a thousand people gathered in front of the Alþingi.
A number of protestors moved up Austurstræti to the government offices, and elements of the crowd began throwing stones and bricks at the building. The police have stated that two officers were seriously injured and evacuated by ambulance. The typical restraint of the Icelandic police force seems to be fading, perhaps in reaction, and they deployed tear gas for the first time since protests against NATO in the late 1940s.
As I left the area to head back to my hotel, the crowd was moving down Austurstræti and confronting the police, whilst other protestors were attempting to protect them.
“According to the information of the newsroom a few protesters have taken a position in front of the police to prevent other protesters from throwing rocks or bricks at the police.”
No one I talked to seems sure what will happen next. The protestors I spoke to originally felt as though the police hadn’t taken sides, but now they fear that the police have taken a role in protecting the government. One thing seems likely, and that is that these protests will continue until the government calls new elections. Hopefully these will continue to be nonviolent affairs.
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Amazing. Thank you for posting this! Other than the chaos, how is the trip going?
what an incredible time to be there!
Jonny, the trip is going well. Incredibly friendly people, and it’s truly a gorgeous city. I’ve been learning quite a bit about Norse history too. The fact that I find myself in the middle of an attempted revolution just makes it that much more interesting.
Anna told me this before, and I’ve also seen it mentioned in a number of museums. 80% of the men have Norse heritage, and 60% of the women have Celtic/Irish heritage. What this means in practical terms is that they have to be the most attractive people on earth.