Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.09.2019, Blaðsíða 4

Reykjavík Grapevine - 27.09.2019, Blaðsíða 4
What Are Icelanders Talkin! About? Sparks a-flyin’ in your newsfeed Words: Andie Fontaine Photo: Art Bicnick Possibly the hottest topic in Iceland right now is the controversy within the ranks of the police. It turns out that National Police Commissioner Haraldur Johannessen is not a popular guy within his own ranks. Eight out of Iceland’s nine police chiefs have filed statements of no confidence against him, as well as the Police Federation of Iceland. They have all characterised his tenure—an office he has held since 1998—has been marred by mismanagement, unnecessary spending, and what Arinbjörn Snorrason, chair of the Reykjavík Police Officers Union, called “ruling by fear”. The highest authority over the police, Minister of Justice Áslaug Arna Sigurbjörns- dóttir, has stated that while Haral- dur will not be stepping down, that her Ministry is working on “reorganising and restructuring” the police hierarchy. Such changes may see Haraldur pushed into an obscure middle-management posi- tion to mollify him. Only time will tell. People are both surprised and not surprised by recent polling which shows the Independence Party at their lowest levels of support ever. Yes, even lower than right after the banks collapsed. On the one hand, this is unsurprising given the bevvy of unpopular policy positions the party has taken up. On the other hand, it is a little bit surprising, given that the Indepen- dence Party is more than a politi- cal party; it’s an Icelandic cultural institution, and their levels of support are usually pretty stable, even in times of tremendous crisis. Parliamentary elections will be held in 2021, barring any unfore- seen circumstances, so it’s entirely possible this situation won’t last long. Icelanders took part in the Global Climate Strike held on September 20th, which stands to reason given that the climate crisis is melting our glaciers, which could lead to more volcanic eruptions and earthquakes, and our shorelines are already being drastically affected. Hundreds of Icelanders marched through downtown Reykjavík to Austurvöllur, the square in front of Parliament, to demand the govern- ment takes action. Meanwhile on social media, some Icelanders have swallowed the alt-right talk- ing points against Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, but these Icelanders are very few and far between, and are largely shouted down by people who actually would rather not see the end of the world in their lifetimes. Imagine that. 4The Reykjavík Grapevine Issue 17— 2019First Published by Fröken ehf. Hafnarstræti 15, 101 Reykjavík www.grapevine.is grapevine@ grapevine.is Member of the Icelandic Travel Industry Association www.saf.is Printed by Landsprent ehf. in 25,000 copies. PUBLISHER Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson hilmar@grapevine.is +354 540 3601 publisher@ grapevine.is EDITOR!IN!CHIEF Valur Grettisson valur@grapevine.is MANAGING EDITOR John Rogers john@grapevine.is ART DIRECTOR Sveinbjörn Pálsson sveinbjorn@ grapevine.is NEWS EDITOR Andie Fontaine andie@grapevine.is CULTURE & TRAVEL EDITOR John Rogers john@grapevine.is PHOTO EDITOR Art Bicnick art@grapevine.is WEB EDITOR Andie Fontaine andie@grapevine.is LISTINGS DIRECTOR Hannah Jane Cohen listings@listings.is LAYOUT !orsteinn Daví"sson COPY EDITOR Catharine Fulton ILLUSTRATIONS Lóa Hlín Hjálmt#sdóttir Elín Elísabet INTERNS Sam O'Donnell samuel@grapevine.is Lea Müller lea@grapevine.is CONTRIBUTING WRITERS a rawlings Grayson del Faro Greig Robertson Josie Gaitens Lóa Hlín Hjálmt#sdóttir Ragnar Egilsson Randi Stebbins Rex Beckett Siggi Ragnarsson Shruthi Basappa Frosti Runólfsson PHOTOGRAPHERS Art Bicnick Anna Maggy Dominika Milek Hlynur Pálmason Icelandic Dance Company Judy Natal Lea Müller Sigur"ur Ragnarsson SALES DIRECTORS A"alsteinn Jörundsson adalsteinn@ grapevine.is Helgi !ór Har"arson helgi@grapevine.is CONTACT US: —» Editorial +354 540 3600 editor@grapevine.is —» Advertising 354 540 3605 ads@grapevine.is —» Distribution & Subscriptions +354 540 3604 distribution@ grapevine.is —» Press releases listings@grapevine.is —» General Inquiries grapevine@grapevine.is FOUNDERS Hilmar Steinn Grétarsson, Hör"ur Kristbjörnsson, Jón Trausti Sigur"arson, Oddur Óskar Kjartansson, Valur Gunnarsson The Reykjavík Grapevine is published 21 times a year by Fröken ltd. Monthly from December through February, and fortnightly from March til October. Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or in part without the written permission of the publishers. The Reykjavík Grapevine is distributed around Reykjavík, Akureyri, Egilssta"ir, Sey"isfjör"ur, Borgarnes, Keflavík, Ísafjör"ur and at key locations along road #1, and all major tourist attractions and tourist information centres in the country. You may not like it, but at least it's not sponsored (no articles in the Reykjavík Grapevine are pay-for articles. The opinions expressed are the writers’ own, not the advertisers’). NEWS A fraction of the Icelanders at the Climate Strike THE HOME OF ICELANDIC SEAFOOD AND LAMB APOTEK Kitchen+Bar is a casual-smart restaurant located in one of Reykjavíks most historical buildings. We specialize in fresh seafood and local ingredients prepared with a modern twist. APOTEK KITCHEN+BAR Austurstræti 16 101 Reykjavík apotek.is

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