Being a Peace Activist Requires Courage: Interview with President and Secretary of the Organization Campaign Against Militarism, Guttormur Þorsteinsson and Stefán Pálsson

Dear readers, happy holidays and before long, happy new year. This year’s annual news reports will most definitely highlight Ukraine’s war. Even though the 21st century may not have been a peaceful one so far, this war is the first time in a while where Iceland and Europe bear witness to large-scale warfare so close to home. The consequences are already upon us as we face an energy crisis, oil shortages and refugee migration from war-torn areas. We can hopefully all agree that war is a ghastly phenomenon which only amounts to destruction in the end. Here in Iceland, the Campaign Against Militarism (CAM) has been active since the year 1960 and the organization has made its mark on the history of Iceland. They’ve hosted The Keflavík March, called for the departure of the American Army during its occupation of Iceland (leading to the Army’s departure in 2005) and aided other activists in hosting protests and marches. The organization also hosts a candle floating ceremony at Reykjavík’s Pond in August of each year to commemorate the victims of the nuclear attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. The Student Paper sat down with the organization’s president, Guttormur Þorsteinsson, and Stefán Pálsson, secretary, at the Peace Center on Njálsgata to discuss peace activism.

Guttormur and Stefán have worked for the organization for a long time, Guttormur (president) being a history student when he paid the Peace Center a visit and encountered the pacifist movement.

“I was sort of dragged into the organization around 2010 or 2012, and so I’ve been a pacifist for a long time, ever since the Iraq war in 2003. That was such an obviously unjust and unlawful war. I became active in committees in 2017 and was nominated for presidency a short while after. CAM offers such good company, which really encourages one to stay.”

Stefán has been active since he was a child, and it was him who received Guttormur and other history students back in the day.

“It was probably me who gave a speech when Guttormur joined the organization. I’m sort of born into it. I’m born in 1975 and belong to the generation who grew up with the threat of nuclear bombs hanging over their heads. We all felt that the world might end at any given moment, whenever senile men made the call to push the big red button.”

Stefán feels that pacifism definitely rings true with the ideals of university students and young people in general, especially considering the reinstated nuclear threat, Ukraine’s invasion by the hands of Russia as well as the threat of imminent climate change.

“I’ve always sensed that these matters seem to reach deeper into young people’s hearts. These are very clear lines when it comes to ideals, for example the complete opposition to war. These are big concepts we’re speaking of, not just indexation, policy index rates or customs unions memberships. I’ve always been drawn to pacifism, I was president when we bought this house in Njálsgata and opened this peace center. In some ways it becomes a way of life, and pacifists become your family. It turns into a rhythm, my kids are used to dinner in the Peace Center every last Friday of the month where lots of people show up - people of all ages, with different backgrounds. We eat together and usually have some sort of presentation or reading afterwards.”

As Stefán describes it, dinners in the Peace Center are a monthly fundraiser hosted by the organization. Food and drinks are served and then discussions take place in the evening.

“Many of our most important events are educational meetings where people can discuss and be informed about areas experiencing conflict. We recently hosted a meeting where we invited people from Iran, who live in Iceland, to come and speak about the protests currently happening there. These were no activists - but the situation forced them to become activists. This led to RÚV showing up and that’s how we could help.”

The organization often operates as a vessel, providing information from areas of conflict to Icelanders. People who have direct connections to such areas have often utilized the organization’s resources to communicate information.

“We’ve hosted an Icelander who was very involved in the civil war in Ethiopia, which thankfully seems to be coming to a close [active hostilities ended on November 3rd 2022], and Valur Gunnarsson has paid us a visit many times to discuss the situation in Ukraine due to the conflict there.”

Stefán mentions how it’s easy to lose oneself in the action when it comes to war, and to flock towards one side - for or against war, with one side and against another.

“We’re lucky to live in a country without an army, and those of us in Iceland don’t face the same challenges as other countries, but the Ukraine war has brought out militant sides in Icelanders. It takes courage to be against war in the middle of a war. One member of our organization went of their own accord on a peace journey to Ukraine with an Italian pacifist group, where they rode a peace train around Kiev. This is not an easy stance to take considering today’s circumstances. It’s not easy to defend people’s right to abstain from military conscription for idealistic reasons.”

Stefán chimes in:

“One has seen perfectly sane people call for active participation in this war, to wage war against Russia without considering the possible consequences.”

It doesn’t take a genius to see that more war will lead to worse consequences for Europe and the world as a whole, and both Stefán and Guttormur invite everyone to join the Peace Walk, which takes place on St. Thorlak’s day, December 23rd, from Hlemmur and onwards downtown. More information regarding peace activism and the Campaign Against Militarism can be found via the organization’s website, fridur.is.