BY FJÓLA DÍSA SKÚLADÓTTIR
This column is written and edited by the Young Socialists
(YS), an international organization of young workers,
students, and other youth fighting for socialism. For more
information about the YS write to: Young Socialists, 3284
23rd St., San Francisco, California, 94110. Tel: (415) 824-
1429.
EMAIL: 105162.605@COMPUSERVE.COM BY ÓLOF ANDRA PROPPÉ
REYKJAVÍK, Iceland - "No to NATO!" and "NATO out of the Balkans!" said demonstrators in Reykjavík June 23. They were protesting a drill called North Viking that has been held every other year in Iceland since 1983.
An army helicopter was supposed to land in Hljómskálagardur, a public park in downtown Reykjavík. The soldiers aboard were to run through a residential neighborhood to the U.S. embassy to free some "hostages" and bring them to the U.S. military base in Keflavík.
Iceland, a founding member of NATO, has hosted a U.S. base since 1951. NATO and the base has always been a big issue here, although the debate has diminished in the last decade. The 2,000 soldiers from the base took part in the drill together with an additional force from the United States. Units from Germany and the United Kingdom played the role of environmental terrorists. Dozens of Icelanders participated as well, mostly from the Coast Guard and the police.
The Young Socialists in Iceland issued a statement that was printed in one of the newspapers. It said, "The NATO drills in Iceland ... are used to prepare for more military conflicts and make people used to the idea of soldiers running heavily armed in their backyards. They are carried out under the pretext of defending the country from imaginary terrorist acts, but their real target is working people."
More than 100 people came to the park, where the helicopter was supposed to land. Some people stayed for a short stop, others stayed there all day. There were people from various organizations, such as the Campaign Against Military Bases; Bríet, an organization of young feminists drawing its name from a pioneer in the fight for women's rights in Iceland; Anarchists in Iceland, who ran for the parliamentary elections this spring; the YS; and many others.
The weather was bad, but spirits were high. People were playing soccer, listening to music, chatting, and talking politics. A group of people had brought cultured milk to throw at the soldiers. YS members discussed this with some people there and most of them disagreed with this method of protesting.
In the evening, when the exercise had not yet been carried out, the protesters declared victory. The army helicopter never landed in the park. As a result of this and previous activities of the YS, a group of young people came to the Pathfinder bookstore two days later. They stayed for two and a half hours discussing politics and showed interest in coming to a forum scheduled a week later.