Icelandic music festival raided by drug police
Pan Thorarensen,organiser of the Extreme Chil l festival in Snæfellsnes. mbl.is/Þórður
The Extreme Chill music festival took place for the seventh time last weekend in the village of Hellnar in the Snæfellsnes peninsula. The organisers have released a statement following news reports of 29 drug related arrests by police at the festival, attended by 200 people.
"The festival has always been held in excellent cooperation with police and the community," it says in the statement signed by Pan Thorarensen and Guðrún Lárusdóttir. "This year, police went overboard and harassed our guests. A lot of people came to us in shock and were afraid to return to the campsite due to police overstepping their bounds."
Police reportedly searched tents without permission and stopped a coach going to the festival to search all the Icelanders onboard for drugs. "We are completely surprised and shocked by police action at the festival. We would also like to add that the drug related arrests were all in the town campsite and not on the festival grounds." They also add that no violence, criminal activity or rape has ever been reported at the Extreme Chill music festival which is dedicated to electronic music.
The organisers are asking festival goers with possible video footage revealing police making searches without warrants to bring these cases into the open. They are cooperating with civil rights group Snarrótin to see whether the matter will be charged.
