Man Fined For Hate Speech In Reykjanesbær

A man in Reykjanesbær was ruled to pay a 100.000 ISK fine after expressing hate speech online, RÚV reports.

In a comment to a Vísir news story, the offender said that the “German showers” needed to be revived because of asylum seekers, and that the Greeks knew how to beat them into submission. Additionally, he called asylum seekers rats and human vermin, among other things.

The ruling was decided on March 31 but published in April. The human rights association Solaris filed the charges.

In his defence, the man claimed to have written the text but swore his innocence. He had exclusively been expressing his views and repeating facts he had read and denied having threatened or intimidated people.

When asked about his reference to German showers, which has connotations with Nazi extermination camps, the offender claimed that he was referring to the fact that the Germans produce quality shower units. He continued, explaining that asylum seekers needed a shower due to the fact that they probably had fleas after a long journey on the run. A judge said that these explanations were highly implausible.

The ruling described the comments as, “seriously offensive, deliberate, and made to impose harm on the relevant groups.”