The general public is invited to take part in protests that will take place this evening, in front of parliament, to coincide with the Prime Minister’s opening speech.
Vísir reports that, according to a statement from the protest organisers, the protests are to “remind parliament who they work for.” In their own words:
This year, we will get together and remind parliament that the country’s households and the general public have not been given a solution to the problems they face, but [those problems] have been prolonged. Remind them that the social welfare system needs to be built up, not torn down. Remind them that the income levels of the general public must be protected, because we are only as well off as the worst off among us.
Yesterday, hundreds protested the opening day of parliament. Many expressed dissatisfaction with how the current government is handling the social welfare system.
“Before the election, The Progressive Party promised to correct certain cutbacks that the Left-Green coalition employed,” Júlíus Valdimarsson, a member of the Humanist Party, told the Grapevine, referring to disability and pension benefits. “Now the Minister of Social Affairs says that they’re not going to do anything about this. Instead they are lowering the taxes for the rich and the quota owners and neglecting the health care system.”
The Prime Minister’s speech will begin at 19:40, but those who wish to participate in the protest are encouraged to assemble at Austurvöllur by 19:30 (although people are welcome to join at any time).
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