Table of Contents
- Celebrating Workers in Reykjavik
- Red Stockings Lead the March
- Declaring 2025 as Women's Year
- Rally at Ingólfstorg
- Celebrating Workers in Reykjavik
Street festivities and road blockages in Reykjavik during Labor Day weekend.
Get ready, Reykjavik! The city center is a hive of activity today as we honor International Workers' Day with a series of events from 12:00 to 3:30 p.m. Various streets will be temporarily closed to accommodate parades, gatherings, and festivities, including the traditional workers' march. Alongside labor-focused events, you've got motorcycle enthusiasts from Sniglarnir conducting a charity group ride, and the Reykjavik Chamber of Commerce arranging family-friendly entertainment in Klambratún park.
- Red Stockings Lead the March
The women-led workers' march is a significant highlight of today's celebration. Beginning at 1:30 p.m. on Skólavörðuholt, this year's parade will be led by women wearing red stockings, in honor of the historic Red Stockings Movement of 1970. These visionary women carried a statue of Venus in a symbolic protest and, after much controversy, were ultimately allowed to join the march's tail-end. The Workers' Representative Council is recognizing this legacy by inviting these pioneering women to lead the parade and deliver all the speeches, as 2025 has been declared "Women's Year."
- Declaring 2025 as Women's Year
In a passionate public address, the Workers' Representative Council has declared 2025 as a year dedicated to women's rights and equality. labor organizations are collaborating with feminist, LGBTQ+, and disability advocacy groups to fight for continued progress towards a more equal society. Although much progress has been made in recent decades, the fight for gender equality is far from over. Continued wage inequality, widespread violence against women, and a concerning backlash are just some of the ongoing challenges addressed in this declaration. The address also criticizes government economic policy, alleging that essential services like health, education, and welfare have been underfunded while taxes for the wealthiest have decreased.
- Rally at Ingólfstorg
The rally at Ingólfstorg square begins at 2:00 p.m., hosted by playwright and artist Kolbrún Dögg Kristjánsdóttir. This outdoor event will feature sign language interpretation by Margrét Baldursdóttir and Lilja Íris Long Birnudóttir. Speakers include Karla Esperanza Barralaga Ocón, a care worker, shop steward, and board member of Efling, and Jóhanna Bárðardóttir, an electrical engineer and trade union steward with the Icelandic Confederation of Labor. The Red Stockings will make a brief appearance, and musical performances will follow by Mammaðín and Una Torfa. The event will conclude with a public sing-along.
- In honor of the historic Red Stockings Movement of 1970, the women leading the workers' march will wear red stockings in today's parade on Skólavörðuholt, joining the festivities in Reykjavik that celebrate International Workers' Day.
- As a tribute to the pioneering women of the Red Stockings Movement, the Workers' Representative Council has invited them to deliver speeches in the parade, acknowledging their symbolic protest of Venus and their significant impact on women's rights.
- In collaboration with feminist, LGBTQ+, and disability advocacy groups, labor organizations will work towards gender equality and progress, recognizing that much work remains to be done in addressing ongoing challenges like wage inequality and violence against women.
- During the celebration of International Workers' Day, a rally takes place at Ingólfstorg square, featuring speeches from Karla Esperanza Barralaga Ocón and Jóhanna Bárðardóttir, musical performances by Mammaðín and Una Torfa, and sign language interpretation by Margrét Baldursdóttir and Lilja Íris Long Birnudóttir.
