Reykjavík burning
The demonstrations in Reykjavík are getting more and more passionate. It’s taken quite some time for the complacent Icelandic populace to react, it usually does, but now, after 16 weeks of weekly demonstrations, they’ve become resilient. Yesterday was the first day of parliament (they get a very long christmas-holiday which practically melds into their summer holiday, which should be starting any minute now (if they don’t resign first)). Demonstrations lasted from about 13 in the afternoon till about four in the morning. But it’s still ‘non-violent’ – surprisingly enough. Four windows broken, an old christmas tree was burned, eggs and dairy-products were thrown. The police weren’t as generous, repeatedly pepperspraying demonstrators, arresting several of them, including an eleven year old boy whose rheumatic mother was sitting close by (due to the rheumatism) and several other minors. Today it started again around noon – right now it seems the game is: demonstrators start a bonfire and the police puts it out, demonstrators restart a bonfire, and the police puts it out, demonstrators re … etc. It’s not an easy time to be away from Iceland. Everything seems to be happening, right now, and yet every time I reload the news-sites (it seems) nothing new has happened. It isn’t until the day is over I can look back and realize how amazing it is, that all that (excuse-my-westfjordic) shit took place in one day. For more, check out newsfrettir.com.
Picture: Helgi J. Hauksson / www.this.is/nei