Icelandic Farm's Anti-EU Sticker Vandalized Ahead of Referendum

A political message displayed on a farm in Iceland has become the subject of an unusual incident, highlighting the tensions surrounding the upcoming national referendum on EU membership. At the Kambakot farm in Húnaþing, a hay bale bearing a sticker that read "EU, no thanks" was defaced.

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When political expression crosses the boundaries of property rights.

Someone reportedly entered the farm's fenced-off area, removed the original sticker, and wrote "Yes to seeing" directly onto the hay bale. "Yes to seeing" is a movement encouraging a "yes" vote in the August referendum on whether Iceland should begin EU accession talks. The incident occurred shortly before the vote, scheduled for August 29.

Erla Jónsdóttir, who resides at the farm, shared the incident on Facebook, describing it as a violation of property rights. She explained that the act was not a simple expression of a differing opinion but involved trespassing. "The person climbed over the fence, went to the hay bale, tore off our sticker, and then wrote 'YES to seeing' on the bale itself," she stated.

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What happened was not that someone walked by and expressed a different opinion. The person climbed over the fence, went to the hay bale, tore off our sticker, and then wrote 'YES to seeing' on the bale itself.

Jónsdóttir emphasized that while freedom of expression is a protected right in Iceland, it does not grant permission to enter or damage another person's property. "Political opinion is free. Access to other people's property and handling of their belongings is not," she wrote. She also noted a high demand among farmers for such stickers, indicating widespread support for the "EU, no thanks" sentiment.

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Political opinion is free. Access to other people's property and handling of their belongings is not.