RÚV reports that a group of protesters have gathered at the the home of Minster of Justice Ragna Árnadóttir, in response to the upcoming deportation of three refugees. Police are already on the scene.
About 40 protesters gathered first at the police station earlier in the evening. According to a statement from the protestors, three refugees currently in Iceland have been arrested today and face deportation to a refugee camp in Greece. Conditions at the Greek refugee camp have been harshly criticised by international groups such as Amnesty International for being inhumane.
Úlfhildur Ólafsdóttir, an anthropology student, told reporters that one of the refugees is from Iraq. He came to Iceland through Greece, and was arrested this evening at a restaurant where he works.
Iceland very frequently evokes the Dublin Accord, which grants Iceland the right to send refugees back to their last point of departure before arriving in Iceland. As there are no direct flights from war-torn countries such as Iraq to Iceland, the accord has been evoked a great deal. The most famous example would be that of Paul Ramses, a Kenyan refugee who was sent out of Iceland to Italy, separated from his wife and infant child, who remained in Iceland. The deportation sparked a massive protest, culminating in Ramses’ return, and a greater public awareness of refugee issues in Iceland.