Rauða borðið 26. mars - Samstöðvarsigur og litróf listarinnar

·1 hr 48 min·5 clips

The lawyer confirms Samstöðin and journalist Hjálmar won 100% of the 15 million ISK defamation case, establishing that 'modern slavery' is protected speech.

1. Rauðaborðið covers Icelandic arts, press freedom law, and public transport policy in an episode recorded during a major storm that closed schools across Iceland. 2. Hosts Bjarg Tólfsson and Laufey Lindahl are joined by theater director Isak Kassi, a guest lawyer who defended Samstöðin, and public transport director Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir. 3. The episode asks how Icelandic society represents minority communities — both in theater and in press law — and whether small media outlets can use strong language about powerful corporations without being silenced by litigation. 4. Isak Kassi describes the Borgarleikshúsið production 'Þegar ég sé þig, sé ég mig sjálfan,' featuring six performers including Viktoria, Tara, Settli, Louis Lucas, Thor Disnatia, and Kanuma Masinkila. 5. The production was developed as collective biography, with performers sharing personal stories drawn from lived experience in Iceland's Somali-Icelandic community. 6. Jón Myndur produced the show with Elefant, and Isak Kassi notes that the work was 'incredibly difficult' but generated a profound sense of community relief among audiences. 7. Amalrún Kassi, who came to Iceland from Somalia in 1987, is cited as a member of the older generation of Somali-Icelanders who achieved civic visibility, including running for Borgarstjórn with Sjálfstæðisflokkinn. 8. Isak Kassi argues that when people see themselves 'reflected in civil society and in the arts and in the culture,' it changes what is possible for communities that have historically faced racism and exclusion. 9. The court case segment centers on Samstöðin and journalist Hjálmar, sued by Elja for a total of 15 million ISK in two counts (6 million and 9 million) over reporting on labor conditions. 10. Elja's workers, described as foreign laborers, died in a fire, and Samstöðin's reporting used the phrase 'nútímaþrælahald' (modern slavery) to characterize the company's treatment of these workers. 11. The lawyer explains the key legal distinction the case turned on: whether 'nútímaþrælahald' is a staðhæfing (factual statement requiring proof of truth) or a gildisdómur (value judgment with broader speech protection). 12. Iceland's courts and the European Court of Human Rights have treated terms such as 'fascist,' 'racist,' and 'modern slaver' as protected value judgments rather than falsifiable factual claims, citing a Hæstiréttur (Supreme Court) ruling from 2009. 13. The court also dismissed a separate demand that Samstöðin publish a retraction, meaning the journalist and outlet won entirely on both the damages claim and the correction demand. 14. A specialist judge on the Landsréttur panel — an expert in human rights law who had written a book on mannréttindi lögfræði — noted that it was questionable whether a company could even claim miskabætur (emotional distress damages) in such cases. 15. The lawyer explains that courts deliberately maintain wide latitude for journalists even when language might have been more carefully chosen, to prevent a 'chilling effect' on reporting about public interest matters. 16. The host, drawing on a journalism background, reflects that losing a 15 million ISK case could have been existential for a small outlet like Samstöðin, while larger media organizations are better positioned to fight such suits. 17. The episode adopts a conversational but substantive tone, with hosts pressing the lawyer on the fine distinctions between value judgment protection and factual reporting standards in Icelandic media law. 18. The public transport segment features Kristín Helga Gunnarsdóttir discussing the expansion of free public transit in Iceland, framed as both a civic good and a tool for inclusive community building. 19. This episode is well-suited to listeners interested in Icelandic press freedom, minority representation in Nordic arts, and the legal limits of powerful companies' ability to silence journalists. 20. Listeners without Icelandic language ability or familiarity with Iceland's civic and legal structures will find significant portions inaccessible, as much of the discussion is conducted in Icelandic.

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