Three Protesters Arrested At Bessastaðir

A group of protesters convened near the presidential residence of Bessastaðir Tuesday evening during a Council of State meeting. They were on site to call for new elections and the immediate resignation of newly appointed Prime Minister Bjarni Benediktsson, referencing his laundry list of scandals.

Vísir reports that the protest was organised by the Roði Association of Young Socialists and the activists responsible for the Solidarity Tent at Austurvöllur. According to news sources, the protesters were instructed by police not to step onto the road as the convoy of ministers rolled into Bessastaðir. Defying police instructions, some demonstrators sat on the road in an attempt to block the oncoming traffic. Three individuals were subsequently arrested.

Bjarni Ben’s assumption of office was formally recognised at the Council of State meeting, where President of Iceland Guðni Th Jóhannesson granted the new government their powers.

The shakeup of the coalition government came following Katrín Jakobsdóttir’s resignation as prime minister and chairperson of the left-Green Movement on April 5 in order to launch her presidential campaign.