Close to 6,000 people are expected to attend a protest against the actions of the government in Austurvöllur square at 5 pm today. As of 10 am, 5,700 people had accepted an invitation to attend the protest on the Facebook page Mótmælum aðgerðum ríkisstjórnarinnar (‘Protest the government’s actions’).
Svavar Knútur, one of the protest’s organizers, told visir.is on Friday that people were hurt and angry over the government’s actions, including cutbacks in education and healthcare.
“This government has upset certain core values time and time again. On top of that, it demonstrates sheer backchat and attitude and bullying when it is criticized,” Svavar said.
He cited the state of the healthcare system as one of the issues Icelanders are particularly unhappy with. As reported, doctors are currently on strike, demanding a 30 percent wage increase and better working conditions.
The protest is not connected to any particular political party or special interest group, Svavar stated. The organizers have emphasized that the protests will be peaceful and free of violence.
