Iceland review - 2019, Blaðsíða 88

Iceland review - 2019, Blaðsíða 88
86 Iceland Review At the heart of downtown Reykjavík lies the small, sheltered Austurvöllur square, criss-crossed by walking paths and lined with lilac trees. In the middle of the square, facing the unassuming two-storey structure that houses Iceland’s parliament, is a statue of Jón Sigurðsson, leader of Iceland’s 19th cen- tury campaign for independence from Denmark. At a national meeting called by the Danish government in 1851, Jón led Icelandic representatives in opposing a new constitution which would limit Icelanders’ rights. “We all protest!” they famously called out. “Vér mót- mælum allir!” The statue of this famous Icelandic protester has since fittingly looked down upon many other activists who have occupied Austurvöllur, which has since become the gathering place for locals who want to speak out on any issue. While many are familiar with Iceland’s mass protests following the 2008 banking collapse, the country’s history of protest in the mod- ern era is much longer and more complex, spurred by issues ranging from women’s liberation and nuclear disarmament to, most recently, action on climate change and asylum seekers’ rights. Yet by many measures, Icelanders are among the happiest people on earth, and Iceland one of the best places to live. So, what is it that drives locals of a wealthy, peaceful country to protest in the streets? And have these protests, which are miniscule on a global scale, spurred any tangible changes? Winter of discontent If you follow Icelandic news these days, you may feel as if there are daily protests in the country. This spring, low-wage workers took to the streets following a breakdown in wage negotiations. Since February, a youth-led climate strike has been taking place weekly to urge the government to act on climate change. Asylum seekers have also been protesting for weeks, demanding work permits, due revision of asylum cases, and equal healthcare access, among other things. The fact that so many diverse groups are taking to the streets, may suggest there is something connecting their disparate causes. I met with Professor of Philosophy Björn Þorsteinsson to try to understand what’s behind the sudden surge of dissent. Though protesters’ issues may be different, Björn says, they’re not unrelated. “I think it’s very important to look at the big picture,” he observes. “These issues are all connected. For instance, the stream of people from abroad is con- nected to both climate change and economic inequal- ity. We are experiencing a hangover of globalism right now..” Björn believes the growing protest movement in Iceland is a sign that democracy is in trouble, not only in Iceland but around the world. “Protests are one manifestation of the fact that democracy, more specifically representative democracy, is in a diffi- cult spot. People distrust the government and their elected representatives, but also political authority in general. People believe that those elected to govern don’t always hold the interests of the public in high regard.” He adds, however, that “there can be very differing reasons behind why people protest. A gen- eral feeling of injustice, anger caused by inequality, or even negative feelings such as envy of those who are better off, fear of those who are foreign or different, or fear of the future or of societal change.” Looking abroad What drives Icelanders to protest is really not so dif- ferent from what drives activists all around the world, according to historian Stefán Pálsson. A lifelong activist, Stefán served as chairman of Iceland’s Anti- War Association (Samtök hernaðarandstæðinga) for 15 years. The Icelandic Peace Movement, Stefán tells me, has always been closely connected to its international counterparts. “The peace movement has always been international. It’s always very closely followed what’s happening abroad and used the same tools, methods, and discourse. We always see the same movements in Iceland as we see in Europe and the US, they just sometimes happen a bit later.” The protest methodology of Icelandic anti-war organisations founded in the late 1950s, direct predecessors of the Anti-War Association, were directly inspired by the British Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament (CND). While the CND organised marches from the Atomic Weapons Research Establishment in Aldermaston to London, Icelanders marched from the US Army base in Keflavík to Reykjavík to protest the army’s occupation of the country. When anti-war protests around the world started to shift their methodology, so did the peace move- ment in Iceland. “Instead of the emphasis being on holding a huge meeting, filling a theatre with people, holding speeches, and signing resolutions, people started to do things like set up peace camps, make art installations, or do performances. Artists became very active at this time and there was more symbol- ism and strong imagery.” Other protests have been closely tied to international movements, not least the current youth-led climate strike, an initiative that originated with Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and has spread across the globe. Pots, pans, and progress Perhaps the best-known protests in Iceland are those that erupted following the banking collapse. Known as the Pots and Pans Revolution, the series of protests played a role in bringing down the ruling gov-
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