The house of Steingrímur Wernersson was splashed with copious amounts
of red paint in the early hours of this morning, for the second time,
in just one of a string of similar hits on the property of Iceland’s
wealthy. Wernersson’s brother Karl also had his home vandalized in the same fashion, also this morning. This Grapevine photo is of Steingrímur’s house. The brothers were involved as vice chairman and chairman, respectively, of Askar Capital, an investment firm majority owned by Glitnir Bank and which had ties to at least one Independence Party MP.
The vandalizing of the homes and vehicles of Iceland’s wealthy has been growing in frequency, as Land Rovers and Mercedes are keyed, splashed with paint, and have their windows smashed, with more recent attacks focussing on the homes of the people in question. The probable motivation for the attacks is growing frustration among Icelanders as the financial crisis continues, while the major players who had a hand in creating it remain unscathed by the law.
(Photo: Paul Nikolov)