News
Aug 04 2005
Actions, ALCOA, Bechtel, Corruption, Kárahnjúkar, Laws, Ólafur Páll Sigurdsson, Pollution, Repression
Statement regarding the action at ALCOA’s illegal building site.
Today a group of activists invaded the Alcoa construction site at Reydarfjördur and climbed cranes on the site. The aim of this action was to stop the work on the site. Alcoa have been targeted because of their involvement in the Kárahnjúkar dam project and the other proposed dam projects and aluminium smelters in the Icelandic highlands as well as environmental destruction worldwide. The Icelandic high court has judged that the building of the Alcoa factory in Reydarfjördur is illegal; we demand that the construction of this factory is immediately halted in observance of this court ruling.
This action was only one of many that shall be taken against Alcoa and their like in Iceland and across the world. The last clean wilderness in Western Europe, heavy industry must not be allowed to despoil Icelandic nature. This is a call out to the people of Iceland and all in peoples of the earth to stand up and fight against the destruction of our environment and culture.
Enough is enough! No more destruction!
Heavy industry out of Iceland!
Aug 03 2005
Kárahnjúkar, Landsvirkjun, Laws, Mark Kennedy, Repression
Time to resign? The Chief of Icelandic State Police and the Minister of Justice share a tense moment (while possibly reading a report from police spy Mark Kennedy)
The Guardian
Paul Brown
Wednesday August 3, 2005
Icelandic police have not forgotten their Viking ancestors, whose names in the sagas, Eric Bloodaxe and Einar Hard-mouth, leave little to the imagination. Last week,eyewitnesses say the police ordered bulldozer drivers to start their engines and move off despite the fact that more than 25 people who were trying to halt work on the Karahnjukar Dam construction site were locked on to the underside of the vehicles. The dam will destroy one of Iceland’s wild places so another hydroelectric scheme can provide power for a further aluminium smelter. Fortunately, demonstrators say they managed to jump in front of the vehicles and pull out fuel lines to prevent injury. They were arrested for their trouble and then allegedly beaten. A 21st-century saga of which Iceland should not be proud.
http://society.guardian.co.uk/societyguardian/story/0,,1540970,00.html
Jul 29 2005
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Actions, Kárahnjúkar, Landsvirkjun, Laws, Ólafur Páll Sigurdsson, Repression
29 July 2005
The people at the international protest camp were forced to find another location as a base, because the landowner of the piece of land the camp was stationed at (the Icelandic national church) gave in from pressure from police and Landsvirkjun and withdrew the permission for the camp to be there. Three local farmers offered the protesters to camp at their land and it goes to show that not all people in the East are pro dam and these farmers have shown great courage to offer us to stay on their land. The new location is at the land of Vad in Skriddalur. If you plan to come, give us a call for direction or if you need to be picked up at Egilsstadir.
The protests will go on, and everyone is welcome to join us.
Jul 19 2005
Actions, ALCOA, Impregilo, Landsvirkjun, Media bias, Saving Iceland
The camp is going really well with loads of people turning up from all over the world as well as Iceland.
Today 25 activists from the International Protest Camp locked on to Caterpillar bulldozers and trucks on their way to wreak more devastation at the dam site.
Work was completely halted at the dam which will destroy huge swathes of pristine wilderness – if it ever gets finished, which the protestors vow it will not – just to power one Alcoa aluminium plant, itself an immense ecological disaster which will ruin a beautiful crystal clear fjord – if it gets built….
The protest lasted well over three hours with local police in complete disarray. Read More
Jul 19 2005
2 Comments
Actions, ALCOA, Greenwash, Impregilo, Kárahnjúkar, Landsvirkjun, Laws, Mark Kennedy, Repression, Saving Iceland
Icelandic police order drivers to start machinery risking protestors’ lives.
Police and security guards at the Karahnjukar Dam construction site in Iceland, last night ordered the bulldozers drivers to start their engines and move off, despite there being more than 25 people locked on to the underside of their vehicles.
“It was terrifying, if someone hadn’t jumped up on the front of the truck and pulled out the fuel line then I think people may have been killed last night” said Rob, one of the protesters from the UK. Read More
Jul 19 2005
Actions, ALCOA, Impregilo, Kárahnjúkar, Landsvirkjun, Mark Kennedy, Saving Iceland
On Tuesday 19th July 2005 a group of approximately 20 of us hiked to the main junction approaching the site. Four of our group locked on to a pick up truck and a HUGE caterpillar construction vehicle. We managed to block two other access roads and halt work on the site for three hours.
This was a first in Icelandic history: the police had to make up a word for “lock-on”. Thirteen of us were “detained, apparently “arrested”, and later released without charge….with the warning that Impregilo were “looking at this incident with grave eyes” and were likely to make a civil case. Impregilo have since changed their mind. For a change, the media did report that the protesters were “friendly”!
Jun 24 2005
Actions, ALCOA, Bechtel, Impregilo, Kárahnjúkar, Landsvirkjun, Saving Iceland
![Sýndu þig!](/img_assist/gen/70)
The camp is east of Jökulsá á Brú, just before the bridge, 2 km. south of Kárahnjúkar. It is easily accessible by normal cars, about one and half hours drive from Egilsstaðir. Most of the road is asphalted but soon before you arrive at the camp it turns into a dust road and winds in sharp bends down towards the river. The camp is at the second bend towards the bridge.
Read More
Jun 20 2005
Actions, ALCOA, Bechtel, Century Aluminum, Climate Change, Corruption, Democracy deficit, Ecology, Greenwash, Impregilo, Kárahnjúkar, Landsvirkjun, Laws, Media bias, Ólafur Páll Sigurdsson, Pollution, R & D Carbon, Repression, Rio Tinto Alcan, Saving Iceland
Answers to common questions about the ‘skyr action’ at Hotel Nordica 14 June, 2005.
Why this conference?
* It was a conference for aluminium and the related industry leaders from all over the world.
* They were here because they think Iceland is right for heavy industrial development. Ironically, this is down to its clean environmental record.
* The people gathered there were key decision makers, financiers and policy drivers behind the Karahnjukar project and other heavy industry developments across Iceland which we oppose.
* A session entitled “An Approach to Sustainability for a Greenfield Aluminium Smelter” started at 11:45 on the day. Hosted by Joe Wahba of Bechtel Corporation and T.M. Sigurdsson of Alcoa, the outrageous hypocrisy of the seminar was extremely provocative to those who truly aspire to the ecological value of sustainability. Read More
Jun 14 2005
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Actions, ALCOA, Bechtel, Century Aluminum @is, Greenwash, Kárahnjúkar, Landsvirkjun, Laws, Ólafur Páll Sigurdsson, Pollution, R & D Carbon, Repression, Rio Tinto Alcan, Saving Iceland
Saving Iceland
June 2005
Whitewashing efforts by multinational vandals Bechtel and Alcoa were thwarted when environmentalists decided to Greenwash THEM instead.
Update: Paul Gill was released Saturday morning. He is to be detained in the country for two weeks and has to report twice a day to the police station in Reykjavik, which is unprecedented!
Delegates at the 10th World Aluminium Conference on Tuesday 14th June in Reykjavik were happily nodding and snoozing their way through a hypocritical sermon enjoying the oxymoronic title ‘An Approach to Sustainability For A Greenfield Aluminium Smelter’ when they suddenly found themselves rudely awoken by a group of protesters who ran in and drenched the speakers – industry fat cats Joe Wahba (Bechtel) and Tomas Mar Sigurdsson (Alcoa)- in green skyr (a kind of Icelandic runny yoghurt). Numerous other delegates were also spattered with the stuff. Read More
Apr 21 2005
Actions, ALCOA, Landsvirkjun, Ólafur Páll Sigurdsson, Saving Iceland
Iceland is under attack and needs international support to stop Corporate Companies destroying their beautiful landscapes. This is under the guise of a “benefit” for the community, but has been opposed since it began. No -one wants this to happen and it can be stopped!
A group of individuals wishing to support this campaign are raising funds to visit Iceland and raise the profile of this campaign thru’ a sponsored firewalk (yes, walking over hot coals!) to take place early June in Scotland. Read More