Sigrún rejects Guardian allegations as lies

Sigrún Björk Ólafsdóttir, operations manager at the British Free Speech Union (FSU), has dismissed allegations reported by The Guardian as false, mbl.is reports. She said she still works for the organisation and described the claims as “pure lies”.

The Guardian reported on Friday that allegations of racism, workplace discrimination and inappropriate sexual comments had left the FSU on the brink of bankruptcy. It said Sigrún had left her job during the week after colleagues alleged she said at a one-to-one meeting in late 2025 that she would “never hire a black person”.

Sigrún said the FSU had decided not to comment on the allegations beyond saying they were unfounded. She called The Guardian politically opposed to the organisation and said it had long been trying to find something against it.

The Guardian also reported that Sam Armstrong, the FSU’s head of legal affairs and communications adviser to British MP Robert Jenrick, had been accused of making staff uncomfortable by discussing the “assets” of US actor Sydney Sweeney, referring to her body shape.

The newspaper said the allegations came during a difficult period for the FSU, which was founded by British peer and Conservative Toby Young. Critics view the organisation as a political platform for opposition to “woke” ideology, The Guardian reported, a perception that could complicate its public presentation as an independent group defending free speech against government censorship.

The Guardian also recalled its July report that the US State Department had allocated $5 million, equivalent to more than 600 million Icelandic krónur, to an international umbrella group that includes the FSU. The newspaper said the funding was part of a wider effort by President Donald Trump’s administration to promote right-wing politics in Europe, and that the department appeared to withdraw the grant after the report.

In August, The Guardian raised questions about the FSU’s charitable fundraising, reporting that it appeared to have collected £60,000, nearly 10 million Icelandic krónur, for a legal case that lawyers ultimately handled for their clients free of charge. Much of the FSU’s work involves raising money for people it believes have faced consequences for exercising their constitutional right to free speech.