The mother of Icelandic pop star Bjork is now 12 days into a hunger strike to protest against the building of an aluminium smelting plant in a section of her country’s eastern wilderness.
Hildur Runa Hauksdottir, who helped her daughter make her first disc at the age of 11, is hoping her action will help halt the plans of aluminium producer Alcoa which signed a declaration of intent with the Icelandic government to build the power plant and smelter in July.
"I'm more optimistic now than I was at the start of the hunger strike," she says. "People are pledging their support and for me that gives me a lot of strength.”
When the plans were initially announced three years ago Bjork was also outspoken in her criticism of the scheme.
Although the project will provide up to 3,000 jobs in an area stricken by high unemployment, environmentalists claim the development will ruin the wilderness area above Europe's largest glacier.
Alcoa’s Wade Hughes, who maintains the plant will only affect a "relatively small" part of the area in question, has spoken to Mrs Hauksdottir – currently subsisting on a type of traditional Icelandic tea made of thyme and yarrow.
"I said to her that we're very sorry to hear (about her hunger strike) and hope that she would stop," he said. "If this project goes ahead, we welcome the opportunity to work with supporters and critics alike."
Photo: © Alphapress.com
