A LAW in Iceland allowing people from the Basque Country to be murdered has been repealed 400 years on.
This was sealed with a handshake between the MP for the province of Guipúzcoa, the capital of which is San Sebastián and the Scandinavian country's minister for education and culture.
“It's safe for Basque people to come here now,” says Jónas Guðmundsson, commissioner for the coastal village of Hólmavík (pictured).
Back in the year 1615, an agreement between Icelanders and the Basque people having set up for a whale-hunting station to be installed on the island nation's coast which both would benefit from, a particularly harsh season with sparse catch caused hardship for both the northern Spaniards and the Scandinavians.
Huge blocks of ice formed on the coast of Iceland, causing Basque fishing boats to crash and sink.
Although the majority managed to swim to safety and got back to Spain alive, 31 Basques remained in Iceland.
Conflict broke out between the locals and the Basque people, and local sheriff Ari Magnússon ordered the latter to be executed.
Since then, the law allowing the Basques to be murdered in Iceland has never been repealed – until now.
The execution of the 31 Basques has become known as 'the Spanish slaughter' by the Icelanders, and a plaque in their memory has been set up, written in Icelandic, Spanish, English and the Basque language, euskera.
“Obviously, the law change and the plaque unveiling is no more than a fun gesture, given that there is already other legislation in this country which would forbid the assassination of Basque people,” pointed out Guðmundsson.
When asked whether more Basque tourists were expected to be seen in Iceland as a result of the law change, he said: “At least it's safe for them to come here now.”
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