International activists taking peaceful action against the Alcoa Dam in Iceland are at risk of being deported from the country following the passing of a new law which came into force on 13 August.
In a move which supresses the right to peaceful protest, Icelandic police are seeking to rearrest 21 protesters, who are mainly of British nationality, as well as some Spanish, Swedish and Polish, and serve deportation orders.
Activists from Iceland and around the world set up a direct action camp in eastern Iceland in July to stop the construction of a hydroelectric mega-dam. The Karahnjukar project would destroy a large swath of highland Icelandic wilderness. The sole purpose of the dam is to provide power for an aluminum smelter to be built by Alcoa, a multinational company with a long record of abusing environmental and human rights, as well as its workers.
Historic Lock-down
The activists set up a blockade which on 19 July included the first ever lock-down in Icelandic history. Police arrived on the scene and ordered workers to use heavy equipment which would cause direct injury to the activists. Several people were violently arrested. Activists also occupied huge cranes on the Alcoa building site thus slowing down construction. The protesters are demanding that the construction of the factory is immediately halted in observance of the Icelandic High Court ruling that the building of it is illegal.