Iceland has reported a surge in disinformation ahead of the EU referendum
Iceland is seeing an increase in disinformation campaigns ahead of the referendum on negotiations with the EU. This was stated by Foreign Minister Torgurdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir, who warned of the spread of a large amount of false information in the run-up to the vote.
She spoke about this to The Guardian.
Hunnarsdóttir accused individuals and groups both within the country and abroad of stoking fear. She stated that Iceland is facing a barrage of disinformation and rhetoric borrowed “from the playbook of Nigel Farage and Reform UK,” the British right-wing populist party.
The minister noted that the referendum risks becoming a target for Russia and “actors seeking to negatively influence our public discourse.” She warned that foreign interference and the spread of disinformation could ultimately influence the outcome.
“I fear we will face a situation similar to Brexit. In my view, that would be a rather dangerous path, because… Brexit supporters spread all sorts of lies,” she told the publication.
The minister cited as an example the controversial figures used by the campaign for Britain’s exit from the EU regarding how much money London contributed to the EU budget. According to her, Brexit “should serve as an example of how not to run a campaign,” rather than something to emulate.
Hunnarsdóttir urged Icelandic voters to “make their own decisions” and to be cautious about their sources of information.
Earlier, Latvia announced its intention to join an agreement to establish a special tribunal for Russia regarding the crime of aggression against Ukraine. Riga stated that it supports the initiative to create an international mechanism to hold Russia accountable for its aggression against Ukraine.
Prior to this, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga reported significant progress on the issue of establishing a Special Tribunal to investigate Russia’s crime of aggression against Ukraine.
