Iceland may face a "Brexit moment" in its looming European Union referendum amid concerns about misinformation, foreign interference and AI, the country's foreign minister says.
The northern European island nation will hold a referendum on whether to continue EU accession talks on Aug 29, and developments are being watched closely in Washington, Moscow and Brussels.
Speaking to The Guardian, Foreign Minister Thorgerdur Katrin Gunnarsdottir accused domestic and foreign actors of "fearmongering", saying Iceland was being hit with misinformation and rhetoric "from the playbook of Nigel Farage and Reform", referring to the United Kingdom's far-right party Reform UK and its leader.
The minister warned that the referendum risks becoming a target of foreign interference and that misinformation could shape the result.
"I am fearing that we will face a Brexit moment," she said. "That would be ... a rather dangerous path because … there were all kinds of lies put forward by the Brexiteers."
