Seven police officers were injured when the protests got out-of-hand for the second day in a row, according to a press release from the Reykjavik police. Just like on Tuesday, stones and glass bottles were used to attack officers yesterday as well, they say.
“As with the day before, the protesters congregated outside parliament in the early afternoon; but around 14.00 they moved to the Prime Minister’s offices, where windows were smashed. The protesters then went back to Parliament House and several bonfires were lit in the evening. Several windows were smashed and others damaged. Two police officers were hurt, one seriously.
“At around 20.00 the protesters moved to the National Theatre and lit a bonfire outside. Just before midnight the group went back to parliament and panes of glass in the main front door were smashed. Three police officers were injured by paving stones being thrown. Shortly after midnight two more police officers were injured, one of them was hit in the head with a paving stone. The police sprayed pepper spray as a warning and then fired tear gas to disperse the crowd. The protesters then went back to the Prime Minister’s offices. The police operation ended there around 03.00,” the police press release says.
[…] Reykjavik Riots: Tear Gas From Police Point of View […]
[…] Reykjavik riots: tear gas from police point of view By Alex on Jan 22, 2009 in Iceland, MBL, Politics, Society | comments(23) […]
[…] the Guardian by Eirkur Bermann, describing the events in Reykjavik: “The word “revolution” might sound a bit of an overstatement, but […]
To “THE NEXT PRESIDENT”
most of the people reading this news page are foreingers and people living abroad. Is it the view that you want people to have about Iceland?
I personnaly think that people who that kind of attitude and point of view are as worth as the people who put Iceland in the situation that we have today…Careless and reckless…
Is it the future that you want to built? Of hanging failed politician and so on ? On stupide violence and recklessness?
And to talk about the police. I come from a country where there is a lot of Strike…and there is also a lot of “interactions” between strikers, and the police. We even have an mob police… The police has been doing its jobs. They are paid for this. To protect people and goods. They might have sometimes cross the line but who would not when you have a man hitting your head with a helmet for an hour or when you have stones thrown at you. People protesting have also their share of responsability. They have also crossed the line several time.
There is a lot of work to be done and holding that kind of grudge toward each other it not a solution, neither having that kind of aggresive behaviour.
[…] monitoring the risk of spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria and […]
I do not condemn the violent protesters, for I understand. However if you look to history, you will find the most effective protests, the ones that actually ended in proper change, were non violent.
Gandhi ordered his followers to withstand the billy club of the police and not fight back. He made the police feel shameful. These violent protesters here are not accomplishing this.
If you want real change, which I personally demand, you must think your actions through and have a clear vision.
An old saying:
Do me wrong once, shame on you.
Do me wrong twice, shame on me!
WE MUST CHANGE THIS CORRUPT SYSTEM , IT IS USED FOR CORRUPTION DERALS , WE NEED NEW SYSTEM , WE DONT WANT TO LIVE IN LIES Q I THINK THAT DEMOCRACY IS THE MOST POWERFULL IDEOLOGY IN THE MOMENT AND BEHIND IT ARE HIDDEN MANY SMUGLERS
How many people thinking about the leaving the Iceland? I think seriously.
DUTCHAM, POLICE ARE DOING THIER JOB, YEAH RIGHT… A HAMBURGUER AND A COCA COLA PLEASE…
ALL JOBS AND PROFESSIONS HAVE CERTAIN VALUES, AND PROCEDURES BASED ON RULES AND ETHICAL PRINCIPLES.
ICELANDIC POLICE IS BREAKING TO MAIN PRINCIPLES:
-CHOOSING TO DEFEND CRIMINALS AND STAND BY THE SIDE OF THE CORRUPTED GOVERN.
-CHOOSING TO ATTACK PEOPLE WHO WANTS DEMOCRACY AND FREEDOM.
AS I SAID, EVERYONE TAKES RESPONSABILITY… ALSO GESTAPO POLICEN WERE DOING THEIR JOB, FRANCO POLICEMEN WERE DOING THEIR JOB, THE POLICEMEN IN THE RUSSIAN OF 1917 WERE DOING THEIR JOB…
WHAT DO YOU CALL A JOB DUTCHMAN? THE USE OF THE FORCE AGAINST ABUSED AND OPRESSED POPULATION? SUPPORTING A DICTATURE IS NOT A JOB, IT IS CRIME…
IF YOU SUPPORT CRIMINALS YOU ARE EQUALLY GUILTY…
The can and should rise up but not with violence. There is a peaceful resolution. That is what separates us from third world countries. We are men and women who control our own destiny. From the fishermen to the prime minister. No one is greater than the other. We all talk of changing the world but when will we speak of changing our selves, into people who can truly effect change.
The police ALWAYS attack first. Believe it or not, that is crowd control policy for most police forces. They believe if they use full force at the first signs of unrest it will quell the problem. But, unfortunately it just gets people hurt. Police included. I have seen, not in Iceland but in other places in the west, police bashing passive women in the face. This, believe it or not is police training. Not that I am saying the Iceland police are trained. Unfortunately, the police are the ones responsible here, this is a legitmate and nessasary protest by a consolidated movement of citizens whose government has long since ceased to represent them. This is NOT radical, minority group action. And the police in Iceland are rubbing their tubby little hands together – because finally this will give them an excuse to be armed… just like those big, brave NYPD guys they like to watch on tv. If you are a police officer from RVK, today you should hang your head in shame for yesterdays occurences, and join your fellow citizens who are bravely demanding their rights as voting citizens.
[…] collected some links to the coverage of the latest events up there for you: Morgunbladid – Iceland’s daily newspaper (police commenting on their usage of tear gas during … The Reykjavik Grapevine – Arts and Entertainment magazine nei – leftwinged activist platform […]
My third finger is raised at any dumb ass supporting, corruption and police using harmful gas on protesters!….People cannot be mute when the economy is going down the drain!…can some spell H.U.M.A.N R .I .G. H .T to the police?
>The police are LYING!
They shot gas first, then the protesters threw stones, then the police shot more gas. That’s what the Morgunbladid reported and what eyewitnesses say happened.
Other eyewitness gives different account.
http://www.icelandreview.com/icelandreview/daily_life/?cat_id=16567&ew_0_a_id=318747
“After the meeting many protesters felt they had done enough and went home, but the younger people stayed, built another fire on Hverfisgata street and threw plastic trash cans onto the flames, filling the air with noxious black smoke. The feeling with more like an adolescent street party than a demonstration, with beer and drum circles.
Finally the group meandered back to the House of Parliament where the riot police stood guard. People continued to drink and dance. Then a group of people at the front line decided they would gang up on the riot police. The crowd pushed into the line of cops, who tried their best to push back.
You could here some of the officers begging the kids to stop. But the crowd was having far too much fun now. Kids lit firecrackers and threw them at the police, then some homemade bombs. Finally, some people picked up the massive flagstones lining the square and hurled them at the police.
When the stones crashed down on the police, the crowd would cheer. Some of the protesters tried to stop those throwing the stones, but there were too many of them. Finally, the riot squad shot tear gas in the crowd and they dispersed. I don’t blame them one bit.
This was no demonstration. The gathering had become just another television show, video game, website—another diversion.
The only thing it truly demonstrates is that the people who gathered at this demonstration last night are not capable of controlling themselves, and are clearly no more fit to decide the country’s fate than the bungling politicians lining the halls of parliament.
This is no revolution. Even if the government does resign. Even if there are new elections in the spring, what will come of it? Where is this aimless “revolution” going?”
>you are a part of a rapidly fading minority that still supports this government, less than a quarter of the nation still supports the government
Opinion polls and people out on the street are indicative only. It is voting that tells the reality. I do not doubt we see elections before 2011, end this year.
Geir already has confirmed and no doubt so will Ingibjörg Sólrún.
Yes, 2000-3000 people is of course signifiacnt for reason you state a fact I never denied.
But this nonsene about violence is mireading of sagas. It is just that Icelanders wrote down what happened more than other medivieal peoples.
The sagas show that most disputes were settled during first 300 years of settlment through arbitration, and that there was far less violance before Christinaity and the tithe came in around 1096 with the income from tithe going to owners of of stadhir which was a reason to fight and gain more and more territoroes to control.
Civil strife did not become serious problem until around year 1220 when the five families had got control and then violence wnet to far because of wanting to centralize more and more under their control so finally representative of Håkon of Norway offered protection in exchange for country.
>my country is being destroyed and i must defend it, no matter what it takes, if you are a patriot you will do the same,
I will defend civil society and not give in to thugs and so will current government.
>No one in this world will change us into slaves.
Except for thugs wanting voilence and idiots wnating to give country to the EU.
Its funny to hear people talking about small groups of people protesting, dont forget this is a nation of only 300k, if 3000 people are protesting its equal to 3 million protesting in the USA.
In the old days Icelanders were among the most violent nations in the world, our Vikings killed and destroyed everything in their path, when they came home from a viking they killed each other, a special law was created to ban people from killing too many of the same family because of the small size of the population, if you read the Icelandic saga you will see what i mean,
this is in our blood, that is why im not optimistic and also why i dont expect Icelanders to take this refusal of the government to resign peacefully,
lets hope for the best, a quick resign and an apology,
No one in this world will change us into slaves.
Of course i dont condone that fisy
you are a part of a rapidly fading minority that still supports this government, less than a quarter of the nation still supports the government, i dont want a war between the government and the public but my country is being destroyed and i must defend it, no matter what it takes, if you are a patriot you will do the same,
I dont look at the police as my enemy, we will trust the police to investigate and arrest people involved in illegal activity no matter what that is when the government has been replaced, there will be an election in the spring, that is a fact
some changes are being made in the news media now
it looks like some people are being fired or replaced to control the news and make them more favorable to the government.
what made me very mad was that many people were provocating the policemen,and made (and make!)this shit with the police.\\their doing their jobs.\they are not wrong.When you are a real man you make the war to them who made the country as it is now!
AND POLICE COME NOW CRYING? POLICE DO CHOOSE TO STAND TO DEFEND THE ENEMIES OF THE NATION, THEY ARE NOT IN THE SIDE OF THE PEOPLE OF THIS NATION. THEY PROTECT THE DICTATORS AND THE MAFIA…
THEY ARE AGAINST ICELAND… THEY DON´T DEFEND THE PEOPLE, THEY GAS THEM AND BEAT THEM HARDLY.
THE PARLIAMENT IS OURS!! THE COUNTRY IS OURS!! THE NATION IS OURS!!
IT IS THEIR PROBLEM IF THEY DECIDE TO STAND AGAINST ICELANDERS AND IF THEY CHOOSE TO COOPERATE WITH THIS CRIMINAL AND ABUSIVE MAFIA GOVERN!!!
EVERYONE TAKES ITS PART OF RESPONSIBILITY HERE…
The central bankers control the world
They are above politicians
They CREATE the bank credit that people live on
They created the circumsatnces that have destroyed the Icelandic economy.
The UK, USA and Europe will all suffer a similar fate.
The bankers are asset stripping the people across the world.
The Icelandic people must revolt and punish their leaders. The central bank should be burned to the ground and the politcians hung for treason.
Look for Quotations by Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin. The founding fathers of America well understood the perils of bank created currency as debt. George Washington destroyed America’s first central bank. Andrew Jackson destroyed the second.
Thomas Jefferson famously said:
“I believe that banking institutions are more dangerous to our liberties than standing armies. If the American people ever allow private banks to control the issue of their currency, first by inflation, then by deflation, the banks and corporations that will grow up around [the banks] will deprive the people of all property until their children wake-up homeless on the continent their fathers conquered. The issuing power should be taken from the banks and restored to the people, to whom it properly belongs.” Thomas Jefferson 1810
The Icelanders must destroy their central bank.
The British and Americans must follow and destroy the Federal Reserve System and the Bank of England
*I hope you do not condone that Axel.
>I think if the government will not give up in the next 1 or 2 days there will be a civil war,
Axel, this is nonsense and the fanstasy of someone wanting to recreate the Russian Revolution of 1917.
What will happen is the minority of people doing the rioting and the even smaller group acting like thugs will be arrested.
It is disgusting to hear that some of the worst thugs are now publishing address of police officers on riot duty and ecournaging harrasment of them and their families.
I hope you do not condone that Alex.
Looks like Hörður Torfa mght be waking up too BTW judging by comments he made this morning in Morgunblaðið.
THE MAFIA AT THE GOVERMENT, HANG THEM ALL, SHOW NO MERCY!! WE WILL SEEE THEIR HEADS ROLLING DOWN LAUGAVERGUR ALL THE WAY TO THE SEA…
The police officer that was hit in the head with a brick was wearing a helmet,
Some rebels and some Police officers have gone too far but so far no one has been seriously hurt,
one rebel has a broken arm after a beating from a few Police officers, one officer was taken to hospital after beeing hit by a brick in the side, he has been released from hospital,
I think if the government will not give up in the next 1 or 2 days there will be a civil war,
then we can expect some serious injury and property damage, there will most likely be a pause for a day or two while people wait to see the effect of the protests, im guessing Haarde will try to ignore this.
The police are LYING!
They shot gas first, then the protesters threw stones, then the police shot more gas. That’s what the Morgunbladid reported and what eyewitnesses say happened.