‘Geysergate’ – Icelanders are hypocrites!

“This is double standards. You Icelanders are a bunch of hypocrites,” says Marco Evaristti, the Chilean artist who last weekend controversially coloured the Strokkur geyser pink. These remarks come in response to the negative reactions he has received, including threats of violence and murder.

Fine to be appealed

Evaristti was fined ISK 100,000 (approx. €680) for vi­o­la­ting Ice­land’s Na­ture Pro­tec­tion Act, but left the country without paying up. He intends to return to Iceland and appeal the fine “every step of the way” in the courts.

The artist (or vandal, depending on whom one talks to) has received death threats on Facebook for his work. He reiterates that he had no intention of coming to Iceland to cause damage and under no circumstances intends to apologise.

“Double standards and hypocrisy!”

“I have done nothing wrong,” he maintains. “I won’t be pressing charges regarding these threats, but I will be pursuing the fine that I have been given through the courts, whatever it takes.”

Evaristti expresses his profound disappointment in the Icelandic people. “Double standards and hypocrisy!” he exclaims. “You think it’s fine to throw coins into a geyser, then kick up a fuss when I use fruit dye.”

“You Icelanders advertise to get all these tourists to fly at least three hours to get here.

Marco Evaristti.

Marco Evaristti.

Have you any idea how much air pollution is generated just by the tourists you lure here? You couldn’t care less about the damage caused by us getting to your country, but then you object when an idiot like me puts fruit dye in a geyser!”

“The planet belongs to us all”

Asked whether he appreciated how emotional the matter might be to some Icelanders, Evaristti simply replies that it is a misconception that Iceland somehow ‘belongs’ to the Icelanders.

“Everywhere belongs to everybody,” he explains. “We are born on a planet that belongs to us all.”

Weather

Partly cloudy

Today

1 °C

Clear sky

Tomorrow

3 °C

Clear sky

Saturday

1 °C