[euobserver.com] EU member states are "intensively" monitoring the risk of
spreading civil unrest in Europe, as riots over the economic crisis
erupt in Iceland following street clashes in Latvia, Lithuania,
Bulgaria and Greece.
The worst street disturbances for 50 years struck Reykjavik on
Thursday (22 January), as police streamed a hardcore of a few hundred
anti-government protesters in the early morning with pepper spray and
then tear gas after an earlier crowd of around 2,000 gathered outside
the Althingi, the country’s parliament, to demand the government
resign.
The
crowds surrounded the building while banging pots and pans and shooting
off fireworks. The demonstrators also lobbed paving stones, rolls of
toilet paper and shoes.
It was the second day of protests after on Wednesday protesters
jostled Minister Geir Haarde’s limousine, pummelling it with cans of
soft drinks and eggs.
The regular demonstrations have strained the government coalition,
with the ruling Independence Party on Thursday saying it "realises that
there will be elections this year."
Iceland is not an EU member, but the protests could result in it
being the first European country to see its government brought down by
the economic crisis.
"It’s a democracy that has its problems like many other states as a
result of the economic crisis," European Commission external relations
spokeswoman Christiane Hohmann said.
The events in Iceland come hot on the heels of anti-government
clashes in Latvia, Lithuania and Bulgaria in recent days, where
economic discontent mixed with local issues erupted in violence.
Trade unions in Greece meanwhile warn that further strikes are still
likely, after protracted street fighting by students and young workers
in December that caused billions in damage.
Concern about the spreading unrest is high on the EU agenda, as
governments find it increasingly more expensive to borrow money,
putting pressure on social programmes.
"There are concerns. The EU shares them. It is one of the major
challenges for the Spring European Council," said a senior EU official,
referring to the quarterly gathering of EU leaders.
EU ambassadors in Brussels are discussing the issue and receiving
"regular updates", according to another official, although he added
that more intelligence on the situation is needed to see whether the
riots are "part of a social trend" or manipulation by opposition
elements.
Lithuania’s interior minister visited Latvia to discuss public
security problems related to the economic crisis even before the
Vilnius and Riga riots last week.
Lithuania is currently collecting "all available information about
similar events in other member states" and sharing it with "concerned"
countries Estonia, France, Germany and Latvia, a Lithuanian diplomat
told the EUobserver.
"Intensive share of information" is also taking place between the Baltic states and Poland, he added.
Following the ructions in Vilnius, 11 further peaceful demonstrations were organised around the country by trade-unions.
"Due to the declining economic [situation] and problems raised by
it, a possibility of similar meetings still remains, but we hope that
riots will not be repeated," he said.
More to come
In a Wednesday interview with the BBC, the head of the International
Monetary Fund, Dominique Strauss-Kahn, predicted that the economic
downturn will cause more unrest.
"[It could happen] almost everywhere, in Europe certainly, and also
in emerging countries," he said. "You’ve had some strikes that look
like normal, usual strikes, but it may worsen in the coming months."
Asked which countries were most at risk, Mr Strauss-Kahn mentioned
Hungary, Ukraine, Latvia and Belarus. "It can be my own country
[France], the UK, it can be eastern Europe," he said.
"The situation is really, really serious," he added.
Source: http://euobserver.com/843/27460
