Sigurður Ingi Jóhannsson, Iceland’s minister for infrastructure, has released a statement on his personal Facebook page, where he apologizes for a comment made by him about Vigdís Häsler, director of The Icelandic Farmers Association.
Sources have claimed that the minister’s comment was of a racist nature. He is said to have referred to Vigdís as „the black one“ at a function hosted last week. The function was part of a conference held by The Icelandic Farmers Association.
DV reported on the matter. In the article, the assistant of Sigurður Ingi, Ingveldur Sæmundsdóttir, denied that any such racist comment had been spoken by the minister.
„I am raised in the belief, and it is indeed my own life view, that everyone is equal,“ Sigurður Ingi says in his statement. „Therefore, I have made sure to treat every person equally. But I make mistakes, just like other people. For that I am sorry. At a dinner, hosted by Framsókn for the representatives at Búnaðarþing conference last Thursday evening, I said some unacceptable things about the director of The Icelandic Farmers Association. I deeply apologize for having said those things. In life, one is always learning about oneself. However, it is sad if such personal education winds up hurting other people’s feelings.“
This article was originally written in Icelandic by Gunnhildur Kjerúlf Birgisdóttir.