Reykjavík Grapevine - aug. 2023, Síða 4

The Reykjavík Grapevine 12 / 23 4
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WORDS Jóhannes Bjarkason
IMAGE Art Bicnick
With Reykjavík Pride start-
ing on August 8 and running until
August 13, city authorities decided
that it wasn’t enough having only
one flag-coloured street in town.
So to inaugurate this year’s pride,
Vegamótastígur — a small alley run-
ning between Skólavörðustræti and
Laugavegur — was painted in the
colours of the trans flag.
Rainbow streets seem to be making
the desks of policy-makers around
the country, as the town of Akranes
painted the longest rainbow-co-
loured street in Iceland, a whopping
400 metres. Remember, the longer
your rainbow-coloured street is, the
more you support queer people.
OF VOLCANOES AND VIO-
LENCE
News of Iceland’s most recent vol-
cano has been few and far between,
as the national Met Office ruled the
Litli-Hrútur volcano to be officially
finished on August 5. Despite the
lack of magma flowing from the
volcano, the area is still considered
dangerous as only a thin layer of
crust protects the still molten lava
underneath.
Citizens of Hafnarfjörður were
shocked to hear loud sirens
throughout their neighbourhood
when the special forces were called
to the scene in Hafnarfjörður’s Vel-
lirnir. A man threatened people with
a knife and broke a window in his
apartment. The police were on the
scene for three hours and managed
to subdue the man and provide him
with medical care. No one was hurt.
Every year, the biggest event hap-
pening at the beginning of August
is the Merchant’s Day weekend
(Verslunarmannahelgin). As one of
the biggest travel weekends, peo-
ple flock everywhere around the
country in search of good vibes.
Þjóðhátíð, the local village festival in
Vestmannaeyjar, is undoubtedly the
most popular one, tracing its history
back to 1874.
In recent years, the festival has gar-
nered a not-so-savoury reputation
due to the high number of reports of
physical and sexual assaults taking
place. This year, things seemed to
have slowed down, as RÚV reported
only a handful of drug cases and
physical assaults were reported
during Þjóðhátíð.
Only one case of sexual violence
was reported to the police. To be
clear, that is still one case too many,
as only 10-13% of sexual assaults
are ultimately reported.
BESTEST COUNTRY IN THE
WORLD
Blessing Newton, a survivor of
human trafficking, who has lived in
Iceland for five years, is now to be
deported, RÚV reported. Originally
hailing from Nigeria, Blessing was
sold in a sex trafficking scheme to
Italy, from where she fled to Iceland.
Her application for asylum was
overruled.
Earlier in August, she was made
to sign an agreement stating she
would leave the country within
30 days. Due to the new law on
foreigners, which Alþingi passed
earlier this year, refugees whose
applications are overruled will be
deprived of social assistance and
basic healthcare. It is yet to be de-
termined what the Icelandic state
will decide in Blessing’s case, as
the state does not have a bilateral
agreement with her home country.
Approximately 2,700 individuals
have applied for asylum in Iceland in
2023, which is an increase from last
year. Unnur Sverrisdóttir, chairman
of the Directorate of Labour, said
in an interview with RÚV that more
housing is needed for the appli-
cants. 2,270 individuals are living
in supplied accommodation, and
more people are expected to arrive
later this year.
What The News!? Rainbows And
Xenophobia
A selection of news stories making headlines these last few weeks