Photo by Magnús Andersen

Whistleblower Bára Halldórsdóttir, who recorded the infamous conversation between members of the Central Party and People’s Party at the bar Klaustur last year, can now count on support from Iceland’s world-famous Eurovision contestant Hatari. The band has announced that they will contribute to the Karolina fund that is to cover Bára´s legal expenses with 10 tickets to the band’s release concert, which will be held in Austurbær in February.

The scandal

In November last year Bára brought the scandalous recording to the public, revealing the derogatory fashion in which the six members of parliament—Bergþór Ólason, Gunnar Bragi Sveinsson, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson and Anna Kolbrún Árnadóttir of the Centre Party and Karl Gauti Hjaltason and Ólafur Ísleifsson of the People’s Party—talked about their female colleagues, the queer and the disabled. Furthermore, it exposed Gunnar Bragi bragging about engaging in quid pro quo.

The fund

In response, the politicians of the Centre Party promptly filed a lawsuit against Bára, who had recorded from a distance and passed the file on to news distributors, for allegedly violating the Privacy Act. Although the courts ultimately ruled on her side, she was left with about 300,000 ISK in uncovered legal expenses.

The Karolina Fund seeks to help Bára cover these costs, and the support for the whistleblower was overwhelming from the first minute. As The Grapevine reported, she is very grateful for the contributions made.

Enter Hatari

Now, with 8 days remaining, Hatari has entered the stage, announcing a donation of 10 tickets to the band’s release concert in February. “Bára and the group ‘Takk Bára’ are simply speechless,” she reported to Stundin. The support by the band shows once more that the Icelandic public has her back in her struggle for justice.