No evidence links Verzló students to MR gym vandalism

There is no indication that students from Verzlunarskóli Íslands were responsible for vandalism at the gym of Menntaskólinn í Reykjavík over the weekend, the head of Verzlunarskóli Íslands said, according to mbl.is. The people responsible have not been identified.

Graffiti including “Viva Versló” and “Fuck MR” was sprayed on the gym, mbl.is reported. School officials from both schools have looked into the incident, but nothing has emerged to suggest Verzlunarskóli Íslands students were involved, headteacher Guðrún Inga Sívertsen said.

The spelling “Versló” on the wall used an s instead of a z. Sívertsen said that did not match the usual practice among her school’s students, who generally make a point of spelling the school’s name with a z.

The incident comes after a football match between the schools in October ended in fighting on Seltjarnarnes. One person was hit on the head with a bottle, and events during the schools’ annual week were postponed or cancelled.

Sívertsen said the schools had a good relationship and that only a few individuals were involved in the October disturbances. Their rivalry, she said, had existed for decades and was generally friendly, centred on competitions and other events.

After the October fighting, the schools’ student councils issued a joint statement condemning the behaviour and emphasising friendship and mutual respect. Sívertsen said the students had taken the initiative themselves and praised them for doing so. A speech competition between the schools, postponed because of the earlier incident, later went ahead and was conducted well, she said.