Charity workers in Iceland are planning to throw a party for asylum seekers in their capital, Reykjavik.

Thorunn Olafsdottir, the director of the Akkeri (Anchor) charity, says she came up with the idea while working in Greece.

The charity raised money for Muslim asylum seekers in a camp near the Macedonian border to mark the end of Ramadan with a festive meal, and hopes to do a similar project for the New Year.

She told Morgunbladid newspaper that Reykjavik Council loaned them City Hall on scenic Lake Tjornin for the event.

"It's good that people can have some fun and become human again, for a while. Every day is long for people waiting to hear what will happen with their asylum applications," she said.

"This is an experiment to show these people that they are worth something, and are welcome in our community.

There have been tensions over asylum seekers, whose numbers are estimated to have reached 800 in a country with a population of less than 350,000.

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