From the UK to Reykjavík, Citizens Are Learning a Horrific Truth

Opinions are now treated as crimes.

What’s happening in Iceland says a lot about where we’re all headed. In Reykjavík, a man is about to stand trial for posting “hateful” opinions online. His name is Eldur Smári Kristinsson, and despite what the Icelandic media says about him, he’s not some oddball, lunatic or bigot. Eldur is a long time gay rights campaigner and now a gender-critical activist. The state has now decided he’s a criminal due to him speaking out against gender ideology and the negative impacts it has against women, children and gays, and now he faces prosecution for so called “hate speech.”

This is not an isolated case. Across the West, dissent is increasingly treated as criminal. Only two weeks ago, Irish comedian Graham Linehan was arrested at Heathrow and interrogated by five armed officers over three tweets. In Brazil, activist Isabella Cêpa was forced to flee the country after being prosecuted for “misgendering” a politician and facing up to 25 years in prison. From Britain to Reykjavík to São Paulo, words are being policed with the full force of the state.

Kristinsson’s story is particularly alarming.
Just days before Iceland’s 2024 parliamentary election, the state broadcaster accused him of secretly filming children, a claim he denies, and which many saw as an attempt to sabotage his campaign.

The actual incident at the centre of the investigation tells you everything you need to know. Kristinsson went to a school to photograph posters put up by LGBT activists. The school was closed at the time. There were no students present. The posters in question allegedly included messages suggesting that BDSM is a form of sexual identity. Kristinsson wanted to document this, publicly challenge the content, and now finds himself facing a criminal trial.
The idea that the same organisation would promote BDSM as a sexuality isn’t too far-fetched.
In 2016, former chairman of the organisation, Hilmar formaður, stated during a meeting with Iceland’s “BDSM Society” that:
"It's the fight against prejudice. If you look at historical literature, BDSM people are 30 years behind homosexuals, but otherwise it's similar. BDSM people are coming out of the closet.”

It was also stated during this meeting that 5% of the people who view the BDSM’s Facebook group were between the ages of 13-17.
Framing BDSM as a "sexual identity" akin to being gay, lesbian, or bisexual fundamentally misunderstands what sexuality is. BDSM is a sexual kink, not an identity.  And yet, we’re told that “BDSM people are 30 years behind homosexuals” and need to “come out of the closet,” as if tying someone up is now a civil rights issue, blurring the line between adult subcultures and children’s education.

More troubling is that this ideology is potentially finding its way into schools, places meant for education, not adult sexual discourse. When posters at a school imply BDSM is a valid "identity" for children to explore, that crosses a boundary. It stops being about tolerance and starts becoming ideological grooming. And let’s not ignore the obvious red flag that 5% of the BDSM Facebook group’s traffic comes from 13 to 17 year olds. Instead of protecting minors from adult sexual subcultures, purposely breaking young people’s boundaries of acceptance with exposure, these activists are effectively normalising it. 

When he went to the police to ask for evidence, he was told instead that he himself was under investigation, not for filming, but for six social media posts criticising gender ideology.

How did this happen?
The answer lies in Iceland’s capture by activist organisations. In 2022, the National Police Commissioner signed a “collaboration agreement” with Samtökin 78, the country’s leading LGBT lobby group. The deal gave Samtökin direct influence over how the police define, monitor and punish so called hate speech. To date, there are no public records that show the police challenging or critically reviewing any of this.
Put bluntly, the activists who write the rules are the same activists who report their critics. And the police, trained by those very activists, enforce it without question.

(Image to Left: Chairman of Samtökin 78 and Police Commissioner, Sigríður Björk Guðjónsdóttir signing agreement)

That closed loop is now being used to drag Kristinsson through the courts. His case is about far more than one man’s tweets. It is a test of whether Iceland will remain a liberal democracy or slide further into ideological policing.

Because once words are treated as violence, democracy itself is on trial.

How can you help?
If Iceland succeeds in criminalising Kristinsson for his opinions, the message is clear. If you speak out, you will be punished.
That’s why his case matters far beyond Reykjavík. If you are in a position to help and stand up for democracy, you can do so here.