Almost came to a shouting match
Jónsson managed to get 24 sheep from the farm, but it was not easy being allowed to get into town and do that. Composite image/Kristinn Magnússon/Grétar Jónsson
Grétar Jónsson, chairman of the Grindavík Sheepowners’ Association, was allowed to move his sheep out of Grindavík last night. But it didn’t go without incident. Temper was rising when he met special forces officials.
Jónsson moved the sheep to Selvogur, near Strandarkirkja church in Ölfus, and he was able to take 24 sheep from Grindavík. He had 25 sheep in Grindavík but one of them was dead when he came tonight. It had she been sick before.
He went with his wife and son-in-law to collect the sheep.
Forced to leave Grindavík after heated discussions
When they were in Grindavík, and were only about 50 meters away from the farm, the special forces unit of the state police stopped them. They had not been given a special permission to pick up the sheep but had been able to go through closing signs since the son-in-law is a rescue team member.
They were ordered to leave Grindavík after some heated discussions with the special forces, as it almost came to a shouting match between the special forces and them, according to Jónsson.
“Then we went straight to the police station in Keflavík and asked to talk to two police officers, the officers in charge,” he says.
The house went under the lava
At the police station in Reykjanes, it didn't work very well to get permission to go to town until Jónsson, his wife and son-in-law explained to the police that the sheep were nearly all they had left in the world.
The son-in-law owned one of the houses that went under the the lava in Grindavík.
“We told them what the situation was. The son-in-law is missing the house and my wife and I own the house where the lava came up to. Then things started to change.”
As a result, they were given permission to go to Grindavík and were escorted by a rescue team. It took only 5-10 minutes to pick up the sheep themselves according to Grétar. They were then ferried to Selvogur.
Not happy with the special forces
He says it is unacceptable that special forces receive people who are bereaved at the closing posts, as happened, for example, in November following evacuation.
“The State’s police chief shouldn’t have these men – to be in contact with people who are distressed. What are they thinking using them with people who are in a shock? They should be fighting with drug dealers, they just don’t know how to communicate with people who are in need. There’s something else they should be in. It’s just not right to do this,” he says, adding:
“This can just ruin people completely, I’m afraid, I just have to say that. Of course they’re just doing their job, but this isn’t their area – dealing with people who have a nervous breakdown, are upset and don’t know what to say. It’s like they’re being shamed and they shouldn’t be treated like that with people who have already gone through so much.”
