Reykjavík Grapevine - 19.11.2018, Page 2

Claudia Schultz is an
organised German
currently studying
English literature
and linguistics at the
University of Iceland.
She loves writing sar-
castic pieces, while
inhaling coffee. Clau-
dia’s favourite things
to do are looking at
cute animal pictures
on Instagram and
travelling the world
with as much lug-
gage as possible.
Elín Elísabet is an illus-
trator and cartoonist
born and raised in
Borgarnes. At the
tender age of 15, Elín
moved to Reykjavík
and hasn’t looked
back, except for the
annual springtime
impulse to move
someplace quiet
and keep chickens.
Elín likes folk music,
stationery, seal vid-
eos, the country of
Ireland, and eggs.
Hannah Jane Cohen
is based out of Ice-
land by way of New
York. An alumni of
Columbia University,
Hannah has lived
on five continents
and speaks three
languages fluently,
which is very impres-
sive. Her visionary
work is known for
expanding the defini-
tions of emotion,
introspection, and
above all else, taste.
John Rogers an
Englishman who
first joined us as
a music writer,
later graduating to
Managing Editor. A
constant traveller, a
lover of art, culture,
food and nightlife,
he edits our Best of
Reykjavík, Best of
Iceland and Iceland
Airwaves sister
publications. His first
book, “Real Life,” was
published in 2014.
Sveinbjörn Pálsson
is our Art Director.
He's responsible for
the design of the
magazine and the
cover photography.
When he's not work-
ing here, he DJs as
Terrordisco, hosts
the Funkþátturinn
radio show, or sits
at a table in a Rey-
kjavik café, drinking
copious amounts of
coffee and thinking
about fonts.
Colin Arnold Dalrym-
ple is Grapevine’s
business reporter,
contributing to daily
news and print is-
sues alike. He is also
the chairman of the
Equal Rights Youth As-
sociation, and lives in
beautiful downtown
Hafnarfjörður.
Andie Fontaine has
lived in Iceland since
1999 and has been
reporting since 2003.
They were the first
foreign-born mem-
ber of the Icelandic
Parliament, in 2007-
08, an experience
they recommend for
anyone who wants
to experience a
workplace where
colleagues work tire-
lessly to undermine
each other.
Timothée Lambrecq
is a French freelance
photographer and
filmmaker who can
be found exploring
Iceland’s nature,
small towns and 101
music scene, or on
the dancefloor at
Berghain in Berlin.
He’s made music
videos for sóley, JFDR
and Samaris, likes
shibas and techno,
and is an avid burger
aficionado.
Lóa Hlín Hjálmtýsdóttir
is a national treasure.
One of Iceland's lead-
ing illustrators, when
she's not drawing
she's the front-
woman of Icelandic
electro-pop super-
group FM Belfast. Her
comic strip Lóabrato-
rium appears every
issue on page eight,
and is also available
as a daily dose on her
Twitter.
First 12: RÚV Reaches Out To Immigrants 14: The Victims Of The 2008 Crisis16: Your Winter Dark-ness Guide
24: Sjón's CODEX Now In
English
32: Code Of Conduct
34: BRÍET's Authentic Pop
35: KEXP Is All About
The Music
44: Kopar Fails
45: KOKS In Your Face
46: Local History As Art
48: Brewing In
Breiðdalsvík
ON THE COVER:
Activist Haukur
Hilmarsson and scenes
from his life
COVER PHOTO BY:
Lóa Hjálmtýsdóttir
ABOUT THE PICTURE:
Lóa, who is best known
for her humourous
comics, worked hard
to represent some of
the many highlights
of the incredible life
and legacy of Haukur
HIlmarsson.-
The Saviour
When the news came early this
year, that Haukur Hilmarsson
was killed in action in Syria,
probably by the Turkish army,
which is quietly mass murdering
the Kurds, it was unbelievable. I
knew Haukur a little bit. My girl-
friend worked with him at the
psychiatric ward at Kleppur and
was always fond of him. I knew
him also as a journalist. I had
followed him closely through an
interesting case where he and
his friend ran onto the airstrip
at Keflavík International Airport
and stopped an airplane full of
passengers, because there was
an asylum seeker aboard that
the government had evicted
from the country in the name
of bureaucracy. For the govern-
ment, it didn’t matter if the
asylum seeker had a small child
and a wife in Iceland and they
were being brutally separated by
this action.
Haukur and his friend were
found guilty for endangering
the people in the plane. And
I thought to myself, that the
verdict was morally wrong. I still
think that. Some laws are wrong.
And sometimes the government
convicts the ones that expose the
grim faces of the rulers; even in
a strong democratic country like
Iceland. If there is some honour
left in the Icelandic system, they
should overturn the verdict and
extend apologies to his family.
The asylum seeker that was
on the plane still lives in Iceland,
thanks to Haukur and his friend
who sacrificed themselves to
defy injustice.
Before Haukur went to
Syria, he wasvolunteering on
the beaches of Greece, helping
refugees fleeing a horrible war.
I sometimes wonder what it was
that convinced him to pick up a
rifle and fight injustice through
violence, because there was not a
violent bone in is body. I guess the
horror on the beaches of Greece
can change you in a dramatic
way. Something died inside of
our bourgeois lives, when we saw
the dramatic picture of the dead
toddler in the waters. Imagine
witnessing that cruelty every
day. Not through your computer
screen, but in real life. Perhaps
you also would pick up a rifle in
the end of the day.
Haukur changed lives. He
helped those that could not
defend themselves. And he defied
those that used their overwhelm-
ing power to inflict injustice on
innocent people while the rest of
us were too busy on the internet
or living our comfortable lives.
Haukur is our conscience of
hope and compassion. He had
the virtue that all of us should
uphold. If this society finds
some meaning in these values,
it should take down the statue
of Leif Erikson, in front of Hall-
grímskirkja, and raise one of
Haukur (although he would
probably hate it) to remind us, as
a nation, and as individuals, that
once, a saviour walked among us.

You can read about Haukur
and his mother’s search for his
remains in our feature at page 19.
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