Mass anti-government protests in Iceland

[Hannah Bell]

Large protests have been held in Reykjavík over the past week, as anger over Iceland’s ongoing economic problems mount. The demonstrations are developing in opposition to the Social Democrat-Left Green government of Johanna Sigurdardóttir, which is failing to provide support for working people hit hard by the crisis.

On Monday, between 7,000-8,000 people gathered at parliament square—over two percent of the population. The protest was held to coincide with Sigurdardóttir’s opening speech of the new parliament, which returned to session last Friday. Previous days had seen smaller demonstrations, although crowds of 3,000 on Friday and 2,000 on Saturday still represent a considerable turnout for Iceland, whose population stands at just over 300,000.

The immediate trigger for the demonstrations has been a sharp rise in the number of repossessions of houses across the country. Over 1,000 forced auctions of property have taken place so far this year, with rates increasing over the summer months. In one region alone, in the southwest of the island, over 200 forced auctions have taken place since the beginning of the year.

http://www.wsws.org/articles/2010/oct2010/icel-o08.shtml