illegal ALCOA smelter in Reydarfjordur

In March this year the Left-Green party in Iceland called for an
independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police
against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006. At
the same time the Left-Green party also expressed serious concern about
the conduct of the police in the coming summer of 2007. Clearly not
without reason.

In Iceland there is huge opposition to the ALCOA aluminium plant but this US based project is being shoved through by the ruling Party.

Please read this report I have just been mailed and get involved.



Saving Iceland
27 July

The Icelandic government and ALCOA are piling up political prisoners
with their repression of protest against the heavy industry policy.

A twenty three year old British Saving Iceland activist who was arrested
today on the action against Rio Tinto-Alcan, has been imprisoned for
eight days.

Apparently the activist was told by the Icelandic police that she was to
pay a 100.000 kronur (£840) fine for her involvement in protests against
ALCOA in the east of Iceland in the summer of 2006, or face prison. She
chose the latter.

At this time we do not know where she will be held.

The third S. I. protestor to be imprisoned is an Icelandic 21 year old.
(The first S.I. activist imprisoned was Paul Gill in 2005.) He is to sit
in jail for 18 days, this coming August, for protesting against the then
still illegal ALCOA smelter in Reydarfjordur.

Other foreign protesters are now having their passports held at ransom
by the police for fines based on accusations for obstructing the police,
but no actual charges. According to a high ranking policeman this is the
first time that the Icelandic police do this. It seems to be the routine
with the Icelandic police that they repeatedly break their own laws in
the almost certain hope they won't be caught out. This is yet another
sign of the corruption that results from the close ties between the
State and the judicial system in Iceland.

Here at Saving Iceland we seem to remember that passports are the
property of the States that they are issued by.

Thus, the Icelandic police may actually be breaching international law
by blackmailing foreign citizens who are just exercising their
democratic right to protest peacefully against the corrupt heavy
industry policy that this new government continues to maintain.

In March this year the Left-Green party in Iceland called for an
independent investigation into the conduct of the Icelandic police
against Saving Iceland protesters in the the years of 2005 and 2006. At
the same time the Left-Green party also expressed serious concern about
the conduct of the police in the coming summer of 2007. Clearly not
without reason.

It is high time that the autocratic and frequently violent methods of
the Icelandic police against peaceful protesters come under serious
scrutiny.

http://www.savingiceland.org/node/887