I wrote in an earlier post that Icelanders can get fairly aggressive when it comes to political protests. I read a couple weeks ago in the local paper - The Grapevine - that there would be a protest outside the Althingi Parliament the next day, so I wandered on downtown, situated myself in a quaint little coffee shop until the scheduled protest. When I heard two gunshots go off, I piled all my books back into my bag, and followed the noise over to Parliament. For a bit of background information, many Icelanders are unhappy about their ongoing economic instability, restricted fishing rights, and the government's ongoing consideration of EU membership.
This is what I encountered:
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| Apart from those making the smoke, people looked more like spectators than protesters |
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| Parents do not shelter their children from such violent political displays; they make sure they get the best views (note child on shoulders). |
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| Google translation of Icelandic sign: "Free brings ham solve urban poverty and employment problems Icelanders." Either this man has very poor grammar, or Google translate is not to be trusted; you decide. I trust you can all decipher the meaning. |
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| A desecrated flag?! Where is your national pride? |
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| Althingi |
This was about the extent of the protest. People threw toilet paper at parliament instead of skyre and snowballs this time. Actually, I heard the next day that Reykjavikers were pretty disappointed in the rioters, pointing out that they were very passive and ineffective. I don't think this riot would have made any international reports, so I won't blame you if you had no knowledge of it.
