A Reykjavík city councilperson for the Independence Party called Mayor Jón Gnarr’s vision of a military-free Reykjavík “confusing apples and oranges.”
“Despite the mayor’s vision of Reykjavík as a city of peace being pretty and fun, there wasn’t consideration taken to [the fact that] our cooperative defense efforts with our allies are first and foremost regarding search and rescue,” said Independence Party city councilperson Hildur Sverrisdóttir, Vísir reports.
“One may not confuse apples and oranges, which is warfare on the one hand, and military management on the other,” she added. “The mayor needs to tell us whether he would refuse help from a military ship which intended to come to Reykjavík if, for example, a volcano or something like that happened.”
In fact, the mayor’s agreement with the previous Minister of the Interior, Ögmundur Jónasson, already made an exception for search and rescue operations. To wit: “The airport will no longer allow the landing of military aircraft or other aircraft with military purpose unless in case of emergency or search and rescue purposes.”
As reported, the mayor has been very passionate about making Iceland’s capital a military-free zone, at both its airport and its harbours.
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