MP Invites People to Protest at Geysír Tomorrow

Ögmundur Jónasson, MP for the Left Green party, is prompting people to protest the newly imposed admission charges at Geysir alongside him on Sunday, reports Vísir.

“I am simply going to turn up at Geysir at 13:30 on Sunday and indulge in the pleasure, one more time, of looking at Geysir and Strokkur and this beautiful nature area that we all own,” said Ögmundur in a radio interview yesterday.

Ögmundur caused waves this week when he wrote a harshly worded blog entitled “Free Entrance To Geysir On Sunday” in which he wondered about the government’s apathy regarding admission charges. Ögmundur is of the opinion that the admission charges to Geysir are illegal.

As reported, the government attempted to stop the Geysir landowners group from charging admission fees based on the fact that the precise areas of land on which Geysir, Strokkur and Blesi are located, are in fact wholly state-owned. The logic was that without the state’s consent the landowners could not charge for the right to see Geysir, Strokkur and Blesi. Meanwhile, the landowners own the surrounding area and the roads leading to the geysers.The state’s request was denied.

The Geysir landowners group began charging admission (600 ISK) Saturday, the 15th of March.