The Cuban father and son who were driven away from Iceland due to racial persecution are returning to Iceland tomorrow after spending two weeks abroad. However, according to the father’s Icelandic partner, they are afraid to move back into their apartment.
The alleged persecutor was taken to custody but has since been released. The photo is not related to the story. By Páll Stefánsson.
“We are extremely grateful for the support that the nation, our neighbors and everyone has shown us,” the father’s partner, who prefers to remain anonymous, told visir.is.
“The event has marked us. We have yet to return to our apartment and I doubt we will ever be able to,” she said, adding that the whole family is in shock. The windows of the house where they lived were smashed.
Jón Hilmar Hallgrímsson was taken to custody for alleged racial persecution but has since been released. He maintains his innocence and claims this case is not related to racism.
Hallgrímsson was recently interviewed on Sölvi Tryggvason’s chat program on Skjár 1. The Cuban father’s partner said she had watched the interview. “This is his version. The police will investigate this case,” she commented.
According to RÚV, Hallgrímsson is a notorious drug debt collector. Hallgrímsson, who goes by Jón stóri (“Big Jón”), stated he has collected debts but not violently.
It is believed that the source of the persecution might have been a conversation between the Cuban son’s Icelandic girlfriend and an Icelandic boy.
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