The independent theater group Óskabörn Ógæfunnar (Favored Children of Unhappiness) is planning to stage the play Illska or Evil by Eiríkur Örn Norðdahl. The play is based on the book by the same name and is about the rise of nationalism.
What shocks some is that the group’s home page shows Iceland’s Prime Minister, Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson, with a Hitler mustache. According to Vísir, the director, Vignir Rafn Valþórsson, could not be reached for interview to explain the reference.
The Prime Minister is the head of the Progressive Party which many think has gone too far in a populist approach to politics, including nationalistic overtones. The party’s candidate for office in municipal elections in Reykjavík came out against building a mosque in the city during the lead up to the election in the spring of 2014.
When Vísir asked Progressive Party MP Vigdís Hauksdóttir about the picture, she replied: “No comment, this [the poster] condemns itself.”
