Usally organisers of demonstations in Iceland are very pleased if 2000 people attend demos. But over 3000! This goes to show the rising tide against the heavy industy policy and corporate invasion of Iceland. Bravo!
May 27 2006
Over 3000 people demonstrate at ‘Friends of Iceland’ Demo and Concert Against Heavy Industry!!
May 24 2006
Inquiry Into the Conduct of the Icelandic Authorities
In the summer and autumn of 2005 the Icelandic authorities performed numerous illegal arrests, violated the rights of people in custody, entered illegally the dwellings of protestors, violated severely the peace and right of privacy of individuals with thuggish surveillance, threats and intimidating behaviour.
The Directorate of Immigration finally ruled that it had no right to deport any of the foreign people who demonstrated summer 2005 against the heavy industry policy of the Icelandic government.
The threats of deportations were in fact nothing but illegal persecution of people who were exercising their democratic rights to protest against the crimes of a highly autocratic and corrupt government. This is exactly what was pointed out in the article ‘Surprise, surprise!‘ as early as September 2005.
No actual deportations of anti-dam protestors took place. Had they taken place they would have been illegal!
People who were on the Icelandic Directorate of Immigration list for possible deportation are all perfectly free to travel back to Iceland.
May 15 2006
All Day Protest Outside the ‘Economist Roundtable for Iceland’ Conference
The conference was organized by the Economist magazine but sponsored by Alcoa and other companies. In the publicity material for the conference, the Economist (in its guise as the ’Economist Intelligence Unit’!) promoted the conference as discussing amongst other things how Iceland can supply all of Europe’s energy needs with clean energy.
In the build up to the conference, outraged Icelanders contacted the Economist and pointed out that even if every drop of energy was squeezed from the land without any other considerations, it would still only produce 1% of Europe’s requirements. Also the energy that will be produced is actually very far from clean energy. In fact its filthy dirty.
The Economist replied that what was in the publicity material was, “marketing-speak geared to creating interest for the event.” They continued, “The journalistic approach from The Economist itself would certainly carry a different, more balanced and researched perspective.”
The unwitting honesty of this reply speaks volumes. Nuff said.
More wriggling and squirming followed about the role of the sponsoring companies, (Just supporting the conference financially, otherwise neutral.) Then they tried to suggest that the conference represented a balance of the opinions on the issues under discussion. Only problem with that being that the, ‘critical’ voice was that of a conservative opposition MP, who had actually supported the dam project wholeheartedly! Read More
May 10 2006
Travel tips
Do you know about good last-minute deals to Iceland?
Want to request or offer a lift to the ferry-port? (any of them)
Want to get together with other people to get a group discount?
(Smyril-line offers especially good group deals)
Have a question about how to get there?
Can you offer accommodation in Iceland or anywhere where people might be travelling through on their way to Iceland? Read More
May 09 2006
Upcoming events in the UK
Please post announcements about your events in this thread.
Cheers,
Saving Iceland
Hello!
We would like to invite you for a three course delicious* meal* at Matilda Social Centre for *Saving Iceland. *It is on the* 2nd of June*, there will be a *film* about the campaign and donation bar from 6.30pm, and meal served at 8pm. If the weather is nice it will be *on the roof!* After the meal we will have DJs, playing fun funky beats. Read More
May 08 2006
2 Comments
Saving Iceland Gathering in Scotland
2nd – 4th June
(Friday evening till Sunday)
At Bilston Glen Anti-Bypass Protest Site
A gathering for activists in scotland (and elsewhere if you want to travel) to discuss the mobilisation at Karahnjukar this summer.
We are going to be talking about travelling to Iceland, how we can help to organise camp and what we can do here in Scotland.
Get involved, get active! Read More
Apr 27 2006
13 Comments
ALCOA in Trinidad and Tobago
Trinidad has its own Alcoa Powered Energy Master Plan:
The area around the town of Vessigny, also known as Union Village will get a Aluminum Smelter plus a handful of other gas based industries. The mega acre site is currently totally cleared of all vegetation, people in the surrounding area are asked to move and the contract for delivery of one cash and carry Chinese smelter plant has been signed. An “agreement in principle” has also been signed with Aloca for the Chatham smelter.
The area between (and including) the village of Chatham and Cap de Ville is earmarked for an Alcoa Aluminum Smelter producing 340,000 tons of Aluminum per year. By the way, that is US$10 billion dollars worth of Aluminum which exceeds the entire annual budget of the country by 4 billion. Read More
Apr 23 2006
The Nature Killers – A Brief Run Down of the Corporations Involved in the Kárahnjúkar Dam
CorporateNews.org.uk
April 4th, 2005
Barclays Bank
Already fund the notorious Narmada dam project in India – and have played a ‘key role’ in financing the dam by arranging a $400 million loan to Landsvirkjun, the Icelandic power company that will run the dam.
Impregilo
Dodgy Italian construction conglomerate, in charge of building most of the dam . One of Impregilo’s consultants has already been found guilty in 2003 of offering bribes to a Lesotho hydro-electric firm, and the company itself will face another hearing before the Lesotho courts in April 2005. Impregilo were also involved in building the Argentina’s Yacyreta dam, which went almost $10 million over budget and was labeled byPresident Carlos Menem ‘a monument to corruption’ . Impregilo were also one of the firms planning to build the infamous Ilisu dam.
Invest In Iceland
Part of the Icelandic Ministry of Industry and Commerce. Promotes investment in Iceland, and seem to be one of the quasi-governmental agencies that has been pushing for the hydro dam.
National Power Company of Iceland (Landsvirkjun)
This is the company that will run the Karahnjukar dam. Initially set up to explore hyro-electric power opportunities, Landsvirkjun now supplies electricity to the whole of Iceland. Owned jointly by theIcelandic State (50%) and the two biggest towns Reykjav í k (45%) and Akureyri (5%). Landsvirkjun also take part in greenwash operations with Alcoa, such as ‘The Alcoa/Landsvirkjun Sustainability Group’, which co-oprdinates projects such as spreading hay to stop soil erosion – which won’t, however, stop the massive erosion caused by the dryung out of dammed river beds. More on greenwash in the Alcoa section. You can track the progress on the dam, day by day, on this part of their website: http://www.karahnjukar.is/en/
Alcoa
The US company that will run the aluminium smelter. Alcoa is the world’s largest producer of aluminium, serves the most industries as well as producing ‘bacofoil’. It is very influential in US as well as Icelandic poltics: Ethical Consumer described Alcoa’s operations as ‘a near textbook example of how to win friends in high places’, counting the US Treasury Secretary, Paul O ’ Neill, as one of its former CEOs. While a major polluter, Alcoa undertakes greenwashing exercises such as the ‘Alcoa forest’ project, which claims to plant ‘ten million trees’. However, in Western Australia Alcoa have simply planted trees on top of the blasted and mined remains of former forest land; the new growth cannot compensate for the loss old eco-system, resulting in substantial erosion of topsoil. Read More