Protest Camp Closes but Actions Continue
27 July 2007
Today we wrapped our protest camp at Bringur, Mosfellsheidi, but we are not through with this summers actions.
This means that if you are planning to join us in our fight against heavy industry in Iceland you are not too late. We have plenty of energy left and loads of targets to protest at.
Write to us at savingiceland@riseup.net if you want to find us or call 8572692.
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Locals of Hafnarfjordur Protest Against Mayor’s Betrayal of ALCAN Referendum
26 July 2007
Locals in Hafnarfjordur protested on Thursday against the Council’s attempts to betray the results of the local referendum in March about the enlargement of the ALCAN smelter which is situated in nearby Straumsvik.
In spite of a massive PR campaign paid for by ALCAN (including an illegal gathering by ALCAN of personal data about individuals in Hafnarfjordur) the majority of the inhabitants rejected the enlargement.
After the referendum both ALCAN and the Mayor of Hafnarfjordur, Ludvik Geirsson, issued a series of contradictory statements claiming that the results of the referendum were not legally binding.
Later they surfaced with the idea that the referendum only applied to a planning permission of a certain spot by the existing factory and that nothing could stop it being built on a landfill on the other side of the factory. (1)
The locals dropped two different banners. One stating that ‘NO MEANS NO – ENLARGEMENT IS CRIMINAL’ and the other saying ‘NIETSCHE KILLED GOD – LUDVIK KILLED DEMOCRACY’.
Saving Iceland wish to congratulate the inhabitants of Hafnarfjordur for their continuing opposition to the evil that has now metamorphised into Rito Tinto-ALCAN.
1.- See: ALCAN and Mayor decide: To Hell with Democracy in Hafnarfjördur!
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State Harassment of Saving Iceland Activists
Saving Iceland demands that:
*The activist currently in prison is either moved to a womens prison with a full apology or released immediately for lack of state resources.
*All stolen passports must be released immediately, according to international law.
*An end to the criminalisation and state harassment of environmental activists.
The Icelandic Police have stepped up their repression of Saving Iceland activists whilst their 2007 Summer protest camp finishes. [1] One activist has been refused the right to appeal her prison sentence and is currently in solitary confinement. Fifteen have had their passports stolen by the Police, who refuse to give any firm reasons as to why or when they will be returned. Five people were arrested for putting up political street art, including the owner of the building that was to be painted. Nine police vehicles turned up at a party in which many SI activists were attending and entered the building without warrant.
After being arrested in the vicinity of the Rio Tinto-Alcan aluminium smelter in Straumsvik on the 24th of July [2], one activist had her sentence from the 2006 protest camp laid on her. Instead she was given the choice to either immediately pay 100,000 ISK or serve eight days in prison. She was refused her right to appeal, which would have given her a month to choose her options. She chose to go to prison instead of paying her fine. Now she is in Hegningarhusid, an all mens prison, and therefore in solitary confinement.
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“Why, if there were no spaces in a women’s prison, and if she should have been given her time of appeal, has she been rushed off into a mens prison, leaving her isolated and in solitary confinement? This is illegal and feels like a political decision designed to unfairly treat political activists.” says Saving Iceland´s Snorri Páll Jónsson Úlfhildarson
Fifteen utlendigar (foreign) activists have had their passports siezed by the Reykjavik Police Dep. After many contradictory statements, Geir Jon, Head of Police, has stated that all passports will be sent to the Keflavik or Seydisfjordur police departments who will return the passports upon the activists departure. We wonder whether this will be the case, or whether activists are to be kept in the country illegally until the time of their trial.
“Passports are the property of the state that issues them, not the Icelandic states to do with as they please. If someone whose identification has been seized by the police needs urgent medical attention or seeks a residents permit in Iceland, for example, how are they to do this without their id?” says Úlfhildarson
Four political street artists were about to apply paint to a wall in Laugavegur, Reykjavik, at 4am on the 28th of July, when they were surrounded by nine special forces police. Whilst the owner of the wall that was to be painted made it clear that he gave full permission to the artists, the police decided to arrest not only the artists, but the owner of the house too! In total, five were arrested, photographed, imprisoned for up to seven hours and finally released without charge.
On the same night a house party in Seltjarnarness which was attended by Saving Iceland activists was surrounded by police. Over twenty policemen in nine cars and vans turned up to tell the partiers to turn their music down. Also, two of the policemen were relatives of the people inside, one having been brought all the way from Hafnarfjordur. The police entered a wing of the house which was unconnected to the party without a warrant.
Saving Iceland demands that:
*The activist currently in prison is either moved to a womens prison with a full apology or released immediately for lack of state resources.
*All stolen passports must be released immediately, according to international law.
*An end to the criminalisation and state harassment of environmental activists.