A large crowd protested the coalition government and the prime minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, during his speech on Icelandic National Day, at Austurvöllur square in downtown Reykjavík yesterday, June 17. The crowd booed the PM and beat drums while shouting “Incompetent government”, a slogan introduced during the protests in the winter of 2008-9, after Iceland's financial system had crashed and burned.
Many of those who were protesting mentioned the legislation to ban the strike of nurses and the Association of Academics, while others voiced more general concerns over the future of the health care system.
Showed the PM the red penalty card
The police estimates a crowd of three thousand people were at Austurvöllur during the Prime Minister’s speech, the overwhelming majority of whom were protesters, according to eye witnesses. Many were carrying signs, while others held up red cards while the PM spoke. The cards were reminiscent of the red penalty card shown by a referees at a football game, when sending a player off the field for repeated violations of the rules.
Many were angered last weekend that Sigmundur and Bjarni Benediktsson, the Minister of Finance, skipped parliamentary debates last Friday to attend a football match. While the two attended the match between Iceland and the Czech Republic at the Laugardalur sports complex, members of parliament were debating legislation ending the strike by nurses and the Association of Academics.
Iceland won the game, 2-1, securing Iceland the top spot in Group A.
A large crowd protested the coalition government and the prime minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, during his speech on Icelandic National Day, at Austurvöllur square in downtown Reykjavík yesterday, June 17. The crowd booed the PM and beat drums while shouting “Incompetent government”, a slogan introduced during the protests in the winter of 2008-9, after Iceland's financial system had crashed and burned.
Many of those who were protesting mentioned the legislation to ban the strike of nurses and the Association of Academics, while others voiced more general concerns over the future of the health care system.
Showed the PM the red penalty card
The police estimates a crowd of three thousand people were at Austurvöllur during the Prime Minister’s speech, the overwhelming majority of whom were protesters, according to eye witnesses. Many were carrying signs, while others held up red cards while the PM spoke. The cards were reminiscent of the red penalty card shown by a referees at a football game, when sending a player off the field for repeated violations of the rules.
Many were angered last weekend that Sigmundur and Bjarni Benediktsson, the Minister of Finance, skipped parliamentary debates last Friday to attend a football match. While the two attended the match between Iceland and the Czech Republic at the Laugardalur sports complex, members of parliament were debating legislation ending the strike by nurses and the Association of Academics.
Iceland won the game, 2-1, securing Iceland the top spot in Group A.
