The protest came about due to increasing oil prices and working hours.
Truck drivers began protesting against these prices, also aiming for lower tariffs on fossil fuels.
[3] According to a person's iReport footage, somebody from behind the police barricade sprayed a can of fluid into the crowd, possibly CS gas, as one protester is seen rubbing their eyes a few seconds later.
[4] Prime Minister Geir H. Haarde told the Fréttablaðið newspaper, “I am very sorry this happened.
It is not in consistency with Icelandic traditions to solve disputes with violence, but I believe it is necessary that police use the resources they have to protect public safety.”[5]