A group of peaceful protesters in front of the US embassy in Reykjavík have been told by police to leave the area, but they refuse to clear out. Police allegedly took down the information of every journalist who arrived at the scene.
Vísir spoke with Lárus Páll Birgisson, a protester in the company of about ten others, who said that they are protesting militarism, and want to point out peaceful options to conflict resolution.
Police have asked the protesters to leave, but Lárus countered that he doesn’t understand why they should have to move off of a sidewalk that public taxes paid for and is in public ownership.
“The police here want us to leave,” Lárus told Vísir in part. “I have repeatedly asked on what legal grounds we can be told to vacate the area and have not received any answer.” Lárus has himself been arrested three times for refusing to leave the area in front of the US embassy, and was on the last occasion charged with disobeying a police command.
At the same time, Lárus says that the situation between protesters and police has been peaceful and courteous, adding that today’s protest was more of a courtesy call.
“It’s just a polite suggestion that there exist other ways of achieving political goals than using violence and militarism,” Lárus concluded.
UPDATE: News website Pressan is now reporting that police took down the names and personal information of every journalist and photographer who arrived at the scene to report on the event.
(Photo: embassy.gov)
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