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grapevine

An ad on display at Keflavík International Airport asking tourists not
to eat whale meat has been met with some strong reactions.
The ad in question featured an illustration of a pair of whales, bearing the slogan, “Meet us don’t eat us!”, and encourages tourists to go whale watching without eating whale meat. Vísir reports that both the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) and an Icelandic whale watching group had a contract with Isavia, the company that runs the airport, for the whole summer. The ad has been up since the beginning of the month.
However, Isavia has now asked both groups to review the content of the ad for changes, and to have them taken down in the meantime.
IFAW spokesman Sigursteinn Másson is not happy. “It would be very serious censorship if they went ahead and took down an ad we had a contract for. This is very significant.”
Sigursteinn said he spoke by phone with Isavia director Hlynur Sigurðsson, who, according to Sigursteinn, gave very little reason for taking the ads down. “I would like to believe that freedom of expression and respect for our contract is worth more than this,” Sigursteinn said. “We stand by the contract and ask that Isavia do the same.”
Friðþór Eydal, a public relations officer for Isavia, said that the company had “reviewed its position” on the ads and decided that they went against “the spirit of the company” with regards to advertising space.
Isavia did not respond to repeated attempts from the Grapevine for a comment.