The owner of Iceland’s largest campervan rental companies, KúKú Campers and Go Campers, who is refusing service to Israelis in protest, is in violation of the Icelandic constitution.
Yesterday Vísir reported that campervan rental owner, Steinarr Lár, had decided to deny Israelis service in protest of the escalating situation in the Middle East.
“There is a genocide taking place and the international community is looking the other way,” said Steinarr. “All I am doing is denying service to people who come from there and applying pressure to push their government to behave in a different way.”
However, this act is both in violation of Iceland’s constitution, EEA regulation as well as the UN International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.
VII. Article 65 of the Icelandic Constitution stipulates
Everyone shall be equal before the law and enjoy human rights irrespective of sex, religion, opinion, national origin, race, colour, property, birth or other status.
Article 11, (1.) of Iceland’s agreement with the EEA also guarantees equal rights and obligations within the Single Market for citizens and economic operators in the EEA.
It is forbidden to set conditions on the delivery of services that lead to direct or indirect discrimination on grounds of nationality.
Similarly Article 5. (f) of the UN’s convention against racial discrimination – accessible in Alþingi’s legal database -stipulates that each person, regardless of race, religion or national origin has;
Right of access to any place or service intended for use by the general public, such as transport hotels, restaurants, cafes, theatres and parks.
This will not the be first time that KúKú Campers are accused of antisemitism. Last year the company’s price rate card – which specifies prices based on high season, mid season and low season etc – named low season with the cheapest rates “Jew Season.” The company removed the name after several complaints saying “The Jewish reference is gone, we are sorry for being dick heads!” citing their web designer’s poor English for the mistake, claiming it was meant to be “Juicy Season” all along.
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