During the last days, a number of small actions have taken place in Reykavík; banner drop in the center of Reykjavík, graffiti and stinky liquid at Jarðboranir and a nighttime shut-down of Útlendingastofnun.
This morning, July 30th, a huge banner was dropped in the center of Reykjavík, bringing attention to the connection and co-operation between the aluminium industry and the weapon industry. The banner said: “30% of all aluminium goes to the weapon industry – Stop the aluminium industry!” From the beginning of our campaign we have not only focused on the destructive environmental impact of aluminium production and big dams, but also the social and humane impacts. Alcoa in Iceland has steadily refused the connection, but with only a little look at the website of n.b. Alcoa Defense, one sees with own eyes that Alcoa does not only produce aluminium for weapon manufacturing, but proudly takes a huge part in the design of military equipment of all types.
Several articles have been written about the issue as well as many press releases following Saving Iceland’s actions:
Lygar og Útúrsnúningar (in Icelandic only)
Agya, What Do You Mean With Development?
Saving Iceland Blockades Rio Tinto-Alcan’s Smelter in Hafnarfjörður
Saving Iceland Disrupts International Aluminium Conference in Germany
Drill your own heads!
Yesterday night Saving Iceland received an anonymous letter titled Solidarity Action, which though did not include any photos:
“The workers of Jarðboranir received a disgusting surprise this afternoon. The company’s fancy entrance was covered in rotten and smelly liquid. Rotten like their hearts, smelly like the money they earn by drilling the Earth. The message we wrote to the workers was: DRILL YOUR OWN HEADS – BASTARDS!”
Jarðboranir (Earth Drilling ) owns the drills that are used to search for geothermal energy. Jarðboranir have recently signed contracts with several energy companies; Landsvirkjun, Reykjavík Energy and Þeistareykir ehf. about drilling for energy, which is meant to run already constructing and upcoming aluminium smelters.
The lack of public knowledge about test drilling is one of the main reasons for the myth about geothermal energy being ‘green’ and sustainable. For each test drill, a piece of land in the size of a football field has to evened out, e.g. for road construction. The test drilling’s efficiency is very limited; only very few of the holes end up providing energy. By then the area is already destroyed and the destruction won’t be taken back.
Companies like Jarðboranir have not been very visible in the critique and resistance against the destruction of Iceland’s wilderness, but is as important as the aluminium and energy companies. Without every single part of the chain, the chain does not work.
Útlendingastofnun
Poke in a belly!
And a little off-topic but still concerning the Icelandic government…
On Wednesday morning, Útlendingastofnun (The Directorate of Immigration) was targeted by no-border activists. The anarchist website Aftaka published this press release:
“This morning, when the workers of The Directorate of Immigration showed up to work, they faced closed and locked doors. Therefore they could not start their everyday job: To look for ways how to deport refugees to deportation camps in Greece or to the open death in their own home countries.
After long-lasting and ineffective protests, article writing and meetings with the authorities, a small group to the issues in its own hands, glued the locks of the office’s doors, threw red paint on the walls and wrote S.S. on windows.
The group realizes that the action is very small-scale, only a tiny little poke in the belly of a gigantic institution, but hopes that it will become a figurehead and an inspiration for other groups who are tired of protesting against fascism and will rather break it down with their own force.
The action group Poke in a Belly!”
This happened only one day after Saving Iceland glued and closed the offices of six institutions and companies that are involved in the heavy industrialization of Iceland.