Around 1,000 people attended the national meeting held on the occasion of Iceland’s 90th anniversary of sovereignty from Denmark on Arnarhóll in central Reykjavík yesterday. Speakers discussed the meaning of sovereignty, democracy and responsibility.
From Arnarhóll. The Central Bank of Iceland in the background. Copyright: Icelandic Photo Agency.
“Democracy is one of the parts of life that worry us today because of the lack of trust we have in the representatives who were supposed to guard our sovereignty and lead in the name of democracy,” said laborer Margrét Pétursdóttir. Morgunbladid reports.
Pétursdóttir encouraged a well informed discussion on the European Union. “We have to […] talk about sovereignty and whether we want to assign it to an institution outside our territorial waters. It may be that all generalizations of the EU are founded, but the discussions and the information on the union are not at all sufficient.”
“We cannot be satisfied that the information we are provided on the pros and cons of joining the EU will be of a similar nature to the information we were provided on the International Monetary Fund,” Pétursdóttir continued, criticizing the sparse flow of information to the public on the government’s actions.
In his speech, economist Thorvaldur Gylfason commented, “The power class failed its duties and now claims that everyone is responsible for this shipwreck to ensure that no one can be held responsible.” The crowd cheered that remark.
“I want to show solidarity with people who have lost their jobs and don’t know what to do,” said Gudrún Gísladóttir, a member of the public on why she attended the national meeting.
Another attendee, Sigrún Sigurdardóttir, added, “I don’t think it is possible that the people who led the economic management into this shipwreck continue with their work and won’t take the responsibility that they obviously have.”
Click here to read more about Iceland’s Sovereignty Day.
