Reykjavík Grapevine - Jun 2020, Page 4

What Are Icelanders
Talkin! About?
News and views in the Icelandic
discourse
Words: Andie Sophia Fontaine Photos: Adobe Stock & Art Bicnick
On June 3rd, some 4,000 people
turned out for a Black Lives
Matter demonstration in Reyk-
javík. Held at Austurvöllur square,
the event was streamed live by the
Reykjavík Grapevine and featured
four speakers, all of them Black
people living in Iceland. The event
was regarded positively by most
Icelanders, organisers told us. The
police behaved themselves, either
standing on the sidelines or in
the crowd. No arrests were made.
However, a distinct difference in
reporting could be seen in the days
following the event.
While most reporters kept
their focus on the issues being
addressed—racism and police
brutality in the US and in Iceland—
some outlets focussed on the event
exceeding the public gathering
maximum of 200 people. Police
did not seem concerned by the
supposed infraction, with Reyk-
javík area chief of police Ás geir
!ór Ás geirs son saying, “I can’t see
how Austurvöllur [could have a
200-person limit] unless we start
limiting Laugavegur or Lækjartorg
or someplace to no more than 200
people. That would be difficult to
enforce.”
Presidential elections are this
month. While it is considered
unusual if not downright rude for
anyone to run against a popular
incumbent president in Iceland,
Gu!mundur Franklín Jónsson, a
former stock broker and unabashed
fan of US President Donald Trump,
is taking a run at President Gu!ni
Th. Jóhannesson. Even though the
election is, at the time of this writ-
ing, pretty much a foregone conclu-
sion—the latest polls show Gu"ni
having the support of over 90% of
those who intend to vote—that isn’t
stopping Gu"mundur from trying
his best. And by that we mean he’s
accused Gu"ni of saying things
he never said, taking some of the
things he has said completely out of
context, and invoking the Spectre
of the European Union, a robust
trope amongst Icelandic populists.
It should come as a relief to 90+%
of Icelanders that they shouldn’t
have to worry about Gu"mundur
darkening the halls of Bessasta"ir
anytime soon.
Finally, Iceland’s borders have
opened. Schengen Area and UK
legal residents were able to come
to Iceland as of June 15th and, on
July 1st, travellers from outside of
Schengen will be able to visit, too.
So far, everything appears to be
going according to plan, but there
are still some I’s to dot and T’s to
cross. For one, although visitors
arriving to the country will have
to be screened for the coronavi-
rus, nurses may go on strike on
June 22nd, which would certainly
make it difficult to carry out test-
ing. While Icelandair is still trying
to find its footing again, some 11
airlines are going to be flying to and
from Iceland, which may help take
up most of the slack.
4The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 04— 2020First
NEWS
Presidential candidate Gu!mundur Franklin
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From the Black Lives Matter protests in Reykjavík
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