11-Year-Old Boy Cheered Up By Anti-Bullying Supporters

Many people have contacted eleven-year-old Ólíver after his mother told the story of the bullying he had faced at school, Stundin reported this weekend.

The youngster regularly came home crying and his mother, Sigríður Elín Ásmundsdóttir, knew how serious the situation had become when she overheard him on the phone to a friend saying that he wanted to die. This bullying included degrading and threatening chat messages, as well as physical altercations. His mother went public with the story, and the response has been extraordinary.

Those who have contacted Ólíver include the musician Ingó Veðurguð, the handball player Björgvin Páll Gústavsson, the national football team captain Aron Einar Gunnarsson and the Minister of Education, Lilja Alfreðsdóttir.

Sigríður Elín thanked them all on a Facebook post on Saturday night: “Ólíver is all smiles after receiving calls and messages from those he adores most in life. Thank you Ingó Veðurguð for calling and boosting him up. Thank you Jón Daði and the Icelandic national football team for a heartfelt message to Ólíver, he could hardly believe his own eyes. Thanks Aron Einar, Ólíver couldn’t believe it when the captain of the Icelandic national team sent him a message and said he wanted to hear from him. Thank you Björgvin Páll Gústavsson for a sincere and constructive chat with Ólíver, he is very excited to meet you on the field and play with you, he is not going to lose for you! Thanks Aron Pálmarsson for the pep talk and the chat and GO FH! Thanks Ævar the Science Guy, my adventurous little one thinks that’s a great idea of yours. Thanks EVERYONE! It is amazing to experience this good, beautiful thing in life after a long-term breakdown.”

Ólíver’s school Sjálandsskóli also commented, saying that they regret the situation and that since they were notified of this particular case, they have been working to solve it in accordance with their anti-bullying plan.

Sigríður Elín added: “Let’s not forget that all those who stand with Ólíver in the fight stand with all the other children out there who are experiencing the same thing.”

Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.

You can also check out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.