This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.
You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/world/2019/sep/05/mike-pence-greeted-by-pride-flags-on-visit-to-iceland
The article has changed 3 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.
| Version 0 | Version 1 |
|---|---|
| Pride flags greet Mike Pence on arrival in Iceland | |
| (32 minutes later) | |
| As Mike Pence pulled up to Höfði House in Reykjavík, he was met not only by Iceland’s president, Guðni Jóhannesson, but also a row of rainbow flags. | As Mike Pence pulled up to Höfði House in Reykjavík, he was met not only by Iceland’s president, Guðni Jóhannesson, but also a row of rainbow flags. |
| An office block belonging to the IT company Advania opposite the historic building had changed its flags on the morning of the US vice-president’s visit. | An office block belonging to the IT company Advania opposite the historic building had changed its flags on the morning of the US vice-president’s visit. |
| “We just felt the need to celebrate diversity today and wanted to show that by flying the flags,” Ægir Már Þórisson, the company’s director, told the Icelandic news website Monitor. | “We just felt the need to celebrate diversity today and wanted to show that by flying the flags,” Ægir Már Þórisson, the company’s director, told the Icelandic news website Monitor. |
| Another office nearby, the headquarters for the Efling trade union, had also switched the flags on its masts for Pride ones. | |
| Pence, a devout Christian, has previously supported anti-LGBT policies, including opposing the repeal of a law that prevented openly gay people from serving in the US military. | Pence, a devout Christian, has previously supported anti-LGBT policies, including opposing the repeal of a law that prevented openly gay people from serving in the US military. |
| In his previous post as governor of Indiana, he voted against a bill banning discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation. He also became the first vice-president to speak at the openly anti-LGBT Family Research Council’s annual conference in 2018. | In his previous post as governor of Indiana, he voted against a bill banning discrimination against people based on their sexual orientation. He also became the first vice-president to speak at the openly anti-LGBT Family Research Council’s annual conference in 2018. |
| Bloomberg’s White House correspondent, Justin Sink, pointed out on Twitter that Jóhannesson had been wearing a rainbow bracelet in pictures showing him shaking Pence’s hand. Iceland’s first lady, Eliza Reid, also wore a rainbow bracelet for the occasion. | Bloomberg’s White House correspondent, Justin Sink, pointed out on Twitter that Jóhannesson had been wearing a rainbow bracelet in pictures showing him shaking Pence’s hand. Iceland’s first lady, Eliza Reid, also wore a rainbow bracelet for the occasion. |
| so at his stop at Höfði (house where Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavík occurred), @vp was met by this not-so-subtle display and then the mayor said he grieved the loss of the INF treaty that emerged from the summit but was recently withdrawn from by the trump administration pic.twitter.com/89P8nQmupc | so at his stop at Höfði (house where Reagan-Gorbachev summit in Reykjavík occurred), @vp was met by this not-so-subtle display and then the mayor said he grieved the loss of the INF treaty that emerged from the summit but was recently withdrawn from by the trump administration pic.twitter.com/89P8nQmupc |
| also, Iceland‘s President Jóhannesson wore a rainbow bracelet (as he did while meeting with Putin) during photo op with Pence today pic.twitter.com/kCAUzUiafo | also, Iceland‘s President Jóhannesson wore a rainbow bracelet (as he did while meeting with Putin) during photo op with Pence today pic.twitter.com/kCAUzUiafo |
| Johannesson also previously wore the bracelet to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who is a supporter of anti-LGBT laws. | Johannesson also previously wore the bracelet to meet the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, who is a supporter of anti-LGBT laws. |
| Pence’s arrival in Iceland also raised eyebrows because of the amount of security he brought with him, including military jets and personnel, in a nation ranked as the world’s most peaceful. | Pence’s arrival in Iceland also raised eyebrows because of the amount of security he brought with him, including military jets and personnel, in a nation ranked as the world’s most peaceful. |
| On Tuesday, Donald Trump said Pence could not be “anti-gay” because he had agreed to meet the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, who is gay, and his partner during an official visit to Ireland. | On Tuesday, Donald Trump said Pence could not be “anti-gay” because he had agreed to meet the Irish taoiseach, Leo Varadkar, who is gay, and his partner during an official visit to Ireland. |
| Iceland | Iceland |
| Mike Pence | Mike Pence |
| Trump administration | Trump administration |
| US politics | US politics |
| Europe | Europe |
| LGBT rights | LGBT rights |
| news | news |
| Share on Facebook | Share on Facebook |
| Share on Twitter | Share on Twitter |
| Share via Email | Share via Email |
| Share on LinkedIn | Share on LinkedIn |
| Share on Pinterest | Share on Pinterest |
| Share on WhatsApp | Share on WhatsApp |
| Share on Messenger | Share on Messenger |
| Reuse this content | Reuse this content |