The unlikely firebrand, Hordur Torfason, has been organising the weekly protests in Reykjavik for eight weeks now. Today he finds himself in the international spotlight, with his very own feature in The Guardian.
Torfason is an actor, playwright and singer/songwriter – well known in Iceland, but not much further afield. What’s more, Hordur is not a political activist. He is a mild-mannered, bespectacled troubadour.
His previous biggest moment in politics was in 1975 when he became one of the first famous Icelanders to come out of the closet – a decision that took him to near exile in Denmark for many years.
However, due in no small part to Hordur, and the flagship gay and lesbian association he helped create in 1978, Iceland has become a country with some of the best equal rights legislation and social acceptance in the world. Torfason hopes his second trip into politics will prove just as monumental.
The weekly protests outside the Althingi parliament in Reykjavik allow an opportunity for “people to constructively let their feelings out and to realise that they are not alone in how they feel,” Torfason says.
The Guardian quotes Torfason as saying he believes the purpose of an artist is to criticise authority where it is due. In this capacity, he feels comfortable in his role as de-facto head of the movement calling for new elections and new hands at the helm of the Central Bank of Iceland.
The protesters believe the government is part of the problem and that its removal would signal a fresh start for Iceland. For its part, the current government does not rule out calling early elections before the necessary time in 2011; but both coalition partners agree that the crucial and sensitive next few months would be the worst possible time for the country to be without strong leadership. The weekly protests continue.
this is nothing.
Gimme your camera!
Protests in Iceland?
You would never know it from what we get from the MSM!
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