Camping protest on Austurvöllur
The freezing temperatures made it difficult to camp in front of the Alþingi Parliament building at Austurvöllur. Photo/Sent to mbl.is
Close to fifty people camped out this weekend with Palestinians who have been staying at Austurvöllur since December 27 in protest, according to activists.
The Palestinians are living here and have been granted family reunification. While the violent and bloody conflict in the Gaza Strip is ongoing, there is no sign of reunification.
Demanding three things
The demands of the Palestinians camping on Austurvöllur are threefold: that the government stand by the family unification, that the refugees who have arrived here be granted asylum, and that ministers, namely the foreign minister, the justice minister and the social and labour minister, meet their requests for a meeting.
The Palestinians started camping on Austurvöllur on December 27. Photo/Sent to mbl.is
It’s hard to camp on frozen ground
Activist Askur Hrafn Hannesson tells mbl.is that a total of about fifty people camped in Austurvöllur this weekend in support of the Palestinian people and “more than a hundred people” visited the activists.
The freezing temperatures made it quite difficult to set up the tents, which, according to Hannesson, “didn’t work out too well.”
“Good atmosphere during the night”
He says that it was actually a good atmosphere at Austurvöllur over the weekend despite the difficult conditions.
“It was quite good mood the night before. We were playing in the big tent, drinking tea and coffee together. And also discussing matters,” the activist says.
He adds that the night went without incident, except for an incident where a few young guys threw small fireworks at the activists, but it didn’t have any serious consequences.
