Saving Iceland

Green Party UK
27th Sep 2007

ICELANDIC AUTHORITIES CRACKDOWN ON POLITICAL ACTIVISTS

Greens back British woman threatened with deportation

Twenty-three year old ‘Saving Iceland’ activist Miriam Rose was held for 8 days by Icelandic police in July of this year, after protesting against the Icelandic government’s support for heavy industry, in particular Rio Tinto Alcan’s Straumsvik smelter in South-West Iceland. She has now been threatened with deportation. (1)

Icelandic Police on Friday presented her with a letter stating that they judge ‘the professed aim of the organization “Saving Iceland” is to disturb public order and threaten fundamental societal values.’ The police are also said to have admitted that this was to be the first of many attempted deportations of activists. (2)

Saving Iceland are a network of people of different nationalities who work to drive away what they describe as the ‘corporate threat’ to Iceland. Currently, 8 new smelters or enlargements of existing smelters planned in Iceland.

Green Party Principal Speaker Dr. Derek Wall today urged the Icelandic authorities to reconsider their actions with regard to Miriam Rose and other environmental activists.

“The Icelandic authorities, not satisfied with arresting and holding Miriam Rose as political prisoner, now seem intent on expelling her from Iceland.

“It’s vital that we protect the right to peaceful protest .

“Non-violent direct action is one of the few weapons we have to affect change, and government’s around the world must be called to account when they try to repress it.”

“I support the Left-Green party in Iceland’s call for an independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006, and am appalled by what looks to be systematic persecution of Miriam Rose as a political and environmental activist.

“I urge the Icelandic authorities, especially the Icelandic government, to reconsider their actions in this case. ”

ENDS

Notes for Editors

(1) & (2) More info on Saving Iceland and the arrest of Miriam Rose can be found at www.savingiceland.org

http://www.greenparty.org.uk/news/3171

6 October 2007

Concerts, info, movies of 2007 SI summer actions, vegan food, bar, a lot of beautiful people and a big party!

Sleeping places available if you let us know: savingiceland@riseup.net

Click here for a flyer to print and distribute

On the 12th of September 2007, the Global Day of Action Against Heavy Industry, people in South Africa, Iceland, Trinidad, Denmark, New York, Holland and the UK protested against the heavy industrialisation of our planet. This marked the first coordinated event of a new and growing global movement that began at the 2007 Saving Iceland protest camp in Ölfus, Iceland. The common target of these protests against heavy industry was the aluminium industry, in particular the corporations Alcan/Rio-Tinto and Alcoa. Read More

Jaap Krater
Earth First Journal
3 August, 2007

Summer of Resistance in Iceland – an overview

This year, Iceland saw its third Summer of direct action against heavy industry and large dams. In a much-disputed master plan, all the glacial rivers and geothermal potential of Europe’s largest wilderness would be harnessed for aluminum production (see EF!J May-June 2006). Activists from around the world have gathered to protect Europe’s largest remaining wilderness and oppose aluminum corporations.
Read More

The 12th of September has been called as a day of international action against heavy industry.

In the 2007 Saving Iceland protest camp, people from five continents explored the similarities between their fights against common enemies, in particular the aluminium industry, and were empowered by the enormous strength of the global movement they were creating. From there, this global day of action was decided upon.

We call on activists from all over the world to join in with creating a locally based yet global movement for planet and people that kicks heavy industrial corporate greed off this earth! Read More

Saving Iceland
27 July 2007

Today we wrapped our protest camp at Bringur, Mosfellsheidi, but we are not through with this summers actions.

This means that if you are planning to join us in our fight against heavy industry in Iceland you are not too late. We have plenty of energy left and loads of targets to protest at.

Write to us at savingiceland@riseup.net if you want to find us.

17 August 2007

The SI collective gave a presentation on Thursday 16th at the UK’s Camp for Climate Action. Over 30 people attended to hear about the heavy-industrial destruction of Iceland, Trinidad, South Africa, Brasil and India. Read More

By Felix Padel and Samarendra Das, Economic and Political Weekly, December 2005

“The evidence we present goes against the conventional history of aluminium, which tends to portray the industry as central to various countries’ economic power and prosperity, without understanding the financial manipulation and exploitation between and within countries, and the true costs.”

Few people understand aluminium’s true form or see its industry as a whole. Hidden from general awareness are its close link with big dams, complex forms of exploitation in the industry’s financial structure, and a destructive impact on indigenous society that amounts to a form of genocide. At the other end of the production line, aluminium’s highest-price forms consist of complex alloys essential to various ‘aerospace’/’defence’ applications.1 The metal’s high ‘strategic importance’ is due to its status as a key material supplying the arms industry. In these four dimensions ‘ environmental, economic, social and military ‘ it has some very destructive effects on human life.
Read More

9 August 2007

This morning Saving Iceland received this message from Danish friends of Icelandic nature:

“Last night, the 8th of August, the embassy of Iceland in Copenhagen, Denmark, was targeted for its complicity in the ecocide of Iceland’s precious wilderness. Read More

 

 

30 July 2007

The Earth Liberation Front sent Saving Iceland the following statement:

“In the early hours of 30/07/07, saboteurs struck at Smurfit Kappa, a plastics factory owned by Rio Tinto Alcan in Chelmsford, Essex. The gates were locked shut, office doors and loading bays were sabotaged with glue and a message left painted on the wall. Vehicles belonging to Rio Tinto were also sabotaged…”
Read More