Icelandic Police Kept Special Watch Over Anarchists - In internal report on protests from 2008-2011, now disclosed

In internal report on protests from 2008-2011, now disclosed

It has come to light that those protesters the Icelandic police believed to be anarchists were subject to close scrutiny both during and after the “Pots And Pans Revolution”, which included the use of plainclothes infiltrators.

DV reports that this information was brought to light in a newly-disclosed report written by former Chief Superintendant of the Police (and current Independence Party alternate MP) Geir Jón Þórisson entitled “Summary of the structure of the police with protests from 2008 to 2011.”

In Geir’s summary, he contends that anarchists taking part in the 2008 protests in front of parliament used Kaffi Hljómalind (now Kaffibrennslan) as a headquarters for planning operations.

On the subject of protests which took place in front of parliament on November 15, 2008, the report states:

“Expected some hard actions from some protesters. They were mostly anarchists, and some 50 to 100 who followed them. It was decided to get some plainclothes students of the police academy to blend in with the group to see if anything was heating up that would require the intervention of the police.”

Police seemed to have detailed information – or at least decisive speculation – on who adhered to which political school of thought.

“At 11:10 it was reported that there were about 40 protesters north of the [Central B]ank, amongst them 10 anarchists.”

Of the protests which took place on June 8, 2009, the report states:

“At 15:20 it was announced that there was banging on the windows of parliament, and information from within the building stated that the noise was disturbing. Anarchists were at the front of the group [banging on the windows] and it was decided to cut them out of the group. Ended with five of the worst of them being arrested.”

Police were additionally ordered to keep an eye on anarchists in particular amongst the protesters. Many of them were amongst those whose names were left visible in the disclosed report, despite a ruling from the Information Access Complaint Board that all names should be kept hidden.

Related:

Police Must Disclose Report

Police Fail To Withold Names And Identities

“World Event” In 2009 When Protesters Defended Disarmed Police