Reykjavík Grapevine - 05.05.2017, Síða 6

NEWS Vakur, a group claiming to
be dedicated to “European culture”
but seeming to be more about Is-
lamophobia and general hatred of
foreigners, announced that they
are hosting an event at Grand Hótel
called “Everything you wanted to
know about Islam but were afraid
to ask” on May 11. The speakers at
this event are scheduled to be Rob-
ert Spencer and Christine Williams.
For the unfamiliar, Spencer is the man
behind the Islamophobic blog Jihad-
Watch and the co-founder of Stop Is-
lamization of America.
The Southern Law Pov-
erty Center has identified
Spencer as a purveyor of
hate speech and racism.
In fact, Spencer was
denied entry to the UK in
2013, on the grounds that
his presence "is not con-
ducive to the public good,"
as the Home Office put it,
adding, “We condemn all
those whose behaviours
and views run counter to
our shared values and will
not stand for extremism in any form.”
Williams, who has written extensively
for JihadWatch, carries much the same
message as Spencer: that Islam is a dan-
gerous religion which must be wiped out.
We called Grand Hotel to ask if they
were aware of who Spencer and Williams
were and, if they were, how they justi-
fied allowing the conference; and if they
weren’t, what they intend to do about it.
Salvör Lilja Brandsdóttir, the General
Manager of Grand Hotel, told us, "We
generally do not ask our guests who hire
conference spaces what the conference
will be about or who will be speaking.
It is also not up to us to decide who
speaks at a conference or to judge the
subject matter," adding, "Regarding this
particular case, I need to
familiarise myself with it
better to comment on it."
Óskar Steinn Ómars-
son, the secretary of the
Social Democrats, who
wrote about the matter
on Medium, is concerned
about the development,
and believes the confer-
ence should be protested.
" I t w o r r i e s
me that an organisa-
tion has flown in a man
who is globally known
for spreading hate speech against
Muslims," he told us. "I don't agree
that he should be banned from com-
ing to Iceland, but I hope this con-
ference will be met with a powerful
protest outside of Grand Hotel."
If you pop on down
to your local state-
owned alcohol store
in the mood for a 40
(that’s a 40-ounce
bottle of malt
liquor, to you non-
Americans), you’re
out of luck.
Malt liquor—a malted
barley beer known
for its cheapness
and high alcohol
content—is not
available for sale
in Iceland. You can
find beer that’s high
in alcohol, like the
ominous Saint-Omer
8%, or beer that
is cheap, like the
frankly terrifying
Euro Shopper lager,
but you’re not going
to find Olde English
800, Colt 45, Magnum,
or any of the other
iconic cornershop
beers one normally
drinks from a brown
paper bag.
Why is this? We
called Ölgerðin, one of
the largest importers
and producers of
alcohol in Iceland. An
employee we spoke
to explained that
ÁTVR, the government
office which oversees
the import and sale
of alcohol in Iceland,
only makes available
so many “seats” for
brands of beer sold
in Iceland, and if the
sale of a particular
beer does not reach
at least the bottom
seat, it is simply taken
off the shelves. The
employee speculated
that Colt 45 probably
never sold enough
units to justify its
import.
That being the
case, one alternative
could be Garún Garún,
an Icelandic Imperial
stout that boasts
a whopping 21%
alcohol content. It’s
not exactly cheap,
though, and comes
in those tiny 33mL
bottles. It also doesn’t
have the distinct
syrupy sweet taste
of your common malt
liquor. For those of
us who appreciate
a cold 40 every now
and then, it’s a sad
state of affairs, but
malt liquor will for the
time being remain yet
another thing missing
in Iceland. PF
Hate Group
To Hold
Conference At
Grand Hotel
Dr. Melissa Anne Pfeffer, atmospher-
ic volcanologist at the Icelandic Vol-
cano Observatory, explains:
Volcanoes in Iceland emit differ-
ent gases while they are erupting
and in between eruptions. The
gases can affect air and water,
with impacts on human, animal,
and plant health. The recent
Bárðarbunga eruption, which
lasted for six months during
2014-2015, released a tremen-
dous amount of the pollutant
SO2 (sulfur dioxide). To put this
in context, this six-month erup-
tion released more SO2 than the
entire European Economic Area
in 2011. Hourly averaged health
limit standards were exceeded
many times in the town clos-
est to the eruption, about 100
km away, and also in Reykjavík,
250 km away. SO2 can irritate
the eyes, throat, and respiratory
tract. Close to the erupting lava,
gas concentrations were some-
times greater than even the gas
masks worn by the scientists
and other essential people near
to the eruption could filter out,
requiring these people to move
away from the high gas levels.
CO2 (carbon dioxide) is released
by volcanoes in Iceland both dur-
ing and in between eruptions.
CO2 is heavier than air, and can
accumulate in low-lying areas,
replacing the oxygen we need to
breathe. During the 1973 Vest-
mannaeyjar eruption on Hei-
maey, a person died from CO2
which had accumulated inside a
building. H2S (hydrogen sulfide)
is released by Icelandic volca-
noes, mainly in between erup-
tions. This gas has some health
impacts due to long-term low
concentration exposure, and in
high concentrations, it can cause
many different problems to the
eyes and respiratory tract. H2S
is often released during volca-
nogenic floods from beneath
glaciers, or jökulhlaups, perhaps
the most famous Icelandic word
in international use.
ASK AN…
Expert
Q: “What Exactly Do
Volcanic Gases Do To
People?”
Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photos:
MRCTV.org
Share this article:
gpv.is/ne07
“It worries me
that an organ-
isation has
flown in a man
who is glob-
ally known for
spreading hate
speech against
Muslims"
Malt Liquor
WHAT'S MISSING IN ICELAND
6The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 07 — 2017
Non-Muslim explains Islam to other non-Muslims
It's a pretty nice hotel most days.
First
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