A designer living in Iceland is now facing weapons charges due to an umbrella that he crafted. A photo of the umbrella in question can be seen here.
Sruli Recht, who received a design award from newspaper DV for the piece, fashioned the specially-designed umbrellas using handles made from a light aluminum. After ordering 200 of these handles from China, the shipment was stopped at customs, and he has since been charged with violating Icelandic weapons laws.
Recht says the umbrellas are “hardly” weapons, and when asked what he thinks of the charges, he told Vísir in part, “It’s very interesting and good material for the media, but I don’t consider it very important.” He had already sold nearly 40 of the umbrellas when the charges were pressed.
High court lawyer Vilhjálmur Hans Vilhjálmsson is defending Recht in the case. He told Vísir that the charges were ridiculous and a waste of the court’s time. “The handles are much lighter than traditional ‘brass knuckles’, first of all. Second, it is a work of design that is actually just an umbrella, and impossible to use as brass knuckles.”
The media was unable to reach prosecutors on the matter.