Saving Iceland

Anti-Coega Contacts:

Earthlife South Africa

Alcan’t at Coega

Landsvirkjun Involved in Coal & Nuclear Powered RioTinto-Alcan Smelter in Africa
HAFNAFJORDUR – Saving Iceland has closed access to RioTinto’s Straumsvik smelter in South-West Iceland. About 20 protestors have locked their arms in metal tubes and climbed onto cranes on the smelter site. Saving Iceland opposes plans for a new RioTinto-Alcan smelter in Keilisnes or Thorlakshöfn, expansion of the existing smelter, and a new coal and nuclear powered smelter in South Africa.

“Protests against Alcan have been successful. Of course the people of Hafnafjordur have stopped the expansion of Straumsvik and recently, in Kaskipur, Northeast India, Alcan had to give up it’s participation in a bauxite mine because of protests against their human rights violations and environmental devestation. Alcan has been accused of cultural genocide in Kashipur, 1 because mining and dams have already displaced 150.000 mainly tribal people there 2. Norsk Hydro left the project when police tortured and opened fire on protestors, and then Alcan moved in,” says Saving Iceland’s Jaap Krater.

• UPDATE: Rio Tinto-ALCAN to Sue Saving Iceland

Read More

Attilah Springer is a journalist and an activist. She is a part of the Rights Action Group in Trinidad and Tobago, which has fought a long battle against Alcoa over aluminium smelters in Trinidad and Tobago. She recently spoke at a conference for Saving Iceland where she documented the progress of the struggle against the aluminium industry in her country. She is currently staying at the International Summer of Dissent protest camp, organised by Saving Iceland. A Grapevine journalist sat down to speak with Atillah at their beautiful campsite in Mosfellsdalur, joined by Lerato Maria Maregele, an activist from South Africa who has been organising protests against Alcan in her own country. Read More

The Icelandic media reports today that Icelandic Alloys (Elkem) “accidentally” released a huge cloud of pollution from their plant at Grundartangi in Hvalfjordur. Apparently the accident was due to human error. The media quote Thordur Magnusson, an Elkem spokesman, saying that this human error “…recurs several times a week.”

Sigurbjorn Hjaltason, Chairman of the local Kjosarhreppur parish, confirms that Elkem usually produce the emissions during nights, when suitable, throughout the year. This is so that people will be less likely to become aware of the pollution they have to breath.

Similar nocturnal habits of ALCAN – Rio Tinto and Century – Rusal have been reported for years by the people of Hafnarfjordur and Hvalfjordur.

ALCAN – Rio Tinto, Century and Elkem seem to share the same conveniently systematic “human errors.”

Are we perhaps to expect that soon the PR departments of these three companies will be offering the population of South-West Iceland free sleeping pills to help them through their dark nights of heavy industry?

‘Iceland is bleeding’

.

Athygli, the public relations company of the National Power Company (Landsvirkjun) woke up this morning to find that during the night a splash of paint had been directed at their offices. A spokesman of the company said the words ‘Iceland Bleeds’ had been written on the house and that he suspected that Saving Iceland was behind this because his company was on a certain “deathlist” on www.savingiceland.org. We can only assume that he means ‘The Nature Killers’ section on this website.

Why would Athygli be on the list of companies responsible for the murder of Icelandic nature? Read More

The farmers-labourers, fishworkers on the Satyagraha blocked the road when the district Minister Vijay Shah tried to pass the Satyagraha centre in Taloon, to protest against the callous attitude and corrupt ways of the Government of M.P. The people affected and to be affected by Sardar Sarovar were upset that the Minister did not agree to enter the Satyagraha and have a dialogue on the issue of life and death. But they also felt jubilant; realizing that the Minister was indeed scared to step on his own government land, now occupied by the people of the valley. Police misbehaving and pushing the women, cleared the way after about half-an-hour for the minister.
Before the incident, farmers, whose motor-pumps are drowned in the reservoir waters due to release of water from Omkareshwar dam, without any warning, took out a motor cycle rally and giving a memorandum to the Minister, demanded that the water levels should be brought down by 22 meters to open up the motor-pumps, or the losses should be fully compensated. The Minister could only say that he would consult the Chief Minister, ordering the MPEB officials orally that they should write off the electricity bills of those who have lost their pumps.
Read More

Press Release – July 20th, 2007 – Icelandic below – Follows from earlier release today – Photo Report – Photo / Video footage available from 8578625.

Today 25 protestors from Saving Iceland went into Orkuveitu Reykjavíkur (Reykjavik Energy, O.R.) and hung up a banner inside stating: ‘Vopnaveita Reykjavíkur?’ (‘Reykjavik Arms-dealers?’). The banner was not hung outside as planned earlier because of weather conditions. Protestors stayed in the building from 15.15 until 16.00 hrs.

Páll Erland speaking on behalf of O.R. states that they offered strawberries to protestors and welcomed Saving Iceland to put up the banner. While Erland might be happy to discuss strawberries with their visitors, they certainly did not give permission to hang up a banner indicating that they sell energy to companies known to be involved in arms production and serious human rights violations (as documented in our earlier press release)
Saving Iceland has now contacted O.R., requesting they put up the banner and discuss publicly with us the ethics of selling energy to corporate criminals such as Century-RUSAL and Alcan-RioTinto.
Read More

“STOP PRODUCING ENERGY FOR WAR”

REYKJAVIK – Saving Iceland’s clown army has this afternoon entered the head office of Orkuveita Reykjavíkur (OR, Reykjavik Energy) on Baejarhals 1. Simultaneously, protestors climbed onto the roof of the building unfolding a banner stating ‘Vopnaveita Reykjavíkur’ (Reykjavik arms-dealers). Saving Iceland demands that O.R. stop selling energy to the aluminium corporations Century and ALCAN-RioTinto. 30% of aluminium produced goes to the military and arms-industry (1).

Currently, O.R. are expanding the Hellisheidi geothermal plant at Hengill. “The goal of enlarging Hellisheidarvrikjun is to meet industries demands of energy,” states the Environmental Impact Assessment, particularly the Century expansion at Grundartangi and possible new ALCAN and Century plants at Straumsvik and Helguvik (2, 3).
Read More

Press Release – 20 July 2007

On the morning of 20th July, the Icelandic embassy on Queen St, Edinburgh was targeted by members of Saving Iceland . Paint was thrown on the building, the lock was glued and a message was affixed to the exterior reading “The Whole World is Watching”. “Iceland Bleeds” was also painted on the steps. The action served as response to recent acts of police brutality against Saving Iceland activists in Reykjavik who continue to oppose the assault on the Icelandic wilderness by heavy industry.

Icelandic Police attacked a non-violent Reclaim the Streets protest in the centre of Reykjavik, on July 14th. Video evidence shows Icelandic police violently throwing protesters to the ground while others were punched and kicked. Five peaceful protesters were held in police cells, one with a broken rib after the police attack. The Reclaim the Streets demonstration was part of a continuing action camp held near Reykjavik this summer, involving activists from across the globe, including Scotland.

The recent expansion of large-scale aluminium production in Iceland has involved a barely democratic process and a comprehensive devastation of vast natural areas on a scale unprecedented in Europe today.

The Saving Iceland activists responsible for the action against the Icelandic Embassy state:
“We are sending a clear message to the Icelandic government that the destruction of unique ecosystems has environmental implications for us all. The repression of those who are opposing these destructive mega–projects is unacceptable. In the context of the current climate crisis we must all take responsibility for the destruction of our planet by criminal corporations such as Alcoa. The whole world is watching”.

The action in Edinburgh was an expression of solidarity with the activists and Icelandic people who are attempting to stand up to the unjust rule of the aluminium industry over democracy. Saving Iceland activists state: “We will not stop until the corporate invasion of the Icelandic wilderness has ceased. The world is not dying, it is being murdered. And those who are doing it need to be held accountable.”

Corporate Media Coverage
Scotsman.com