Parliament speaker condemns threats against political leaders

Threats and aggressive conduct towards political leaders appear to be becoming commonplace, with women politicians most often targeted, Þórunn Sveinbjarnardóttir, speaker of Iceland’s Parliament, said in a speech opening the parliamentary session on Tuesday, according to mbl.is.

“It is time for this to stop,” Þórunn said as she addressed MPs.

She said the summer had been eventful politically, referring to the referendum on whether to continue membership negotiations with the European Union. Voters had shown strong interest in the issue and turnout had been very good, she said.

“The referendum produced a clear result on the position of the majority of voters, a result that Parliament must respect,” Þórunn said.

She said public discussion had generally been extensive, constructive and informative, although it had also included misinformation.

“But the general debate also showed certain warning signs that are worth pausing to consider. It appears, unfortunately, that aggression and threats towards political leaders are becoming everyday occurrences. It is noteworthy that the politicians who are most exposed to such behaviour are women. It is time for this to stop,” she said.

Þórunn said participants in public debate, including discussions in online comment sections, had to be capable of handling that responsibility if a democratic society was to live up to its name.

“It is up to each and every one of us to contribute to this forum in a way that is useful rather than harmful,” the parliamentary speaker said.