From Iceland — Police Take Action On Hate Site

Police Take Action On Hate Site

Published January 30, 2012

Reykjavík police questioned a suspect and seized a computer in connection with a racist website aimed at Icelanders and written in Icelandic.
As reported, the site in question directs its ire at immigrants, whom the anonymous author believes are to the detriment of the country. The author also seems to have a special hatred for Africans.
Iceland does have a hate speech law, however. Section 233 of the Icelandic Penal Code states: “Anyone who in a ridiculing, slanderous, insulting, threatening or any other manner publicly assaults a person or a group of people on the basis of their nationality, skin colour, race, religion or sexual orientation, shall be fined or jailed for up to 2 years.”
Although the site’s server is located in Chicago, USA, Vísir reports that police searched a house in the capital area, seizing computer equipment and questioning a suspect on the matter. Friðrik Smári Björgvinsson, chief of the capital area police, told reporters that it does not matter if the site’s server is hosted abroad; that this does not diminish the responsibility of those writing on the site.

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