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Fischer Freedom Watch

Bobby Fischer
BREAKING NEWS
 

(4/8)     Freedom & Celebration    

Bobby aboard flight to Iceland
 

Bobby & Sæmi Pálsson celebrating on the plane

Sæmi & Bobby and the camera crew on the plane
 

Arriving in Iceland
 

Bobby & Sæmi - Relaxing at last

BOBBY “KIDNAPPED” AGAIN
Police Said to Have Obeyed News Editor’s Instructions Because of Misunderstanding

 The RJF Committee has released an announcement stating that the reception ceremony for Bobby Fischer upon his arrival in Iceland went awry due to the interference of the Channel 2 news editor. The announcement goes on to say that it must be utterly unprecedented that a member of the press should take the affair out of the hands of the organizers and steer the course of events in order to monopolize press coverage of such an occasion.

The announcement, sent to the Morgunbladid Online News Desk by Einar S. Einarsson, spokesman of the RJF Committee appears below in its entirety:

“As your reporters and other spectators noticed, the reception ceremony for the arrival of Bobby Fischer and his fiancée, Miyoko Watai, unfortunately careened out of control due to the interference of the Channel 2 news editor,  Pall Magnusson. Parties on behalf of Channel 2 covered the expense of the private jet that brought Fischer to Iceland.

It must be utterly unprecedented that a member of the press should take such an affair out of the hands of the organizers and steer the course of events in order to monopolize press coverage of it.

Fischer was told to stride right by his supporters in the reception committee and straight to a car that stood at the ready, not far from the plane, so that other reporters, photographers, and television stations were able to take very few pictures of him as he stepped onto Icelandic soil. He and his party were then driven away and taken on a short drive through the neighborhood.

Ranking police officer Geir Jón Thórisson and his staff had roped off the reception area with yellow tape and had made all the necessary preparations so that the reception would go smoothly. But then, when the plane had landed, everything took a different course than expected because Geir Jón misunderstood the situation and took orders from the news editor of Channel 2 (the underwriters of the flight) and not from the RJF Committee, which had worked to free Fischer and had arranged both for his coming to the country and for a small reception without speeches.

After having boarded the plane with the customs officers, Geir Jón returned with the message that Fischer was so exhausted that he didn’t feel up to shaking the hands of the seven of us who were waiting to welcome him.  And there would be no interviews.

Then, when Fischer disembarked from the plane, who else but a Channel 2 reporter comes charging forth, right past the police and straight up to Fischer, and begins asking the “exhausted” traveler questions. When that happened, the well-organized reception plans dissolved into chaos. More people ran into the roped-off area, and soon the police couldn’t control the crowd.

The reception committee had planned to present Fischer with his Letter of Citizenship, as symbolic testimony to his having become an Icelander, but this couldn’t be accomplished and will have to wait for a better time.

The message was sent to us supporters that Fischer would return and would arrive at Hotel Loftleidir in 15-20 minutes, whereupon the reception committee could see him. This did indeed happen.

The reporters from Channel 2, who had virtually kidnapped Fischer for a short time, returned with him to the plane and interviewed and filmed him again with the jet in the background.. They were the only news crew to do so, as the other members of the press had packed up and left by that time.

Then Fischer came, with his friend Saemundur, into Hotel Loftleidir and greeted everyone who had been waiting for him very warmly and graciously. He was lively and energetic, and he seemed anything but exhausted. Of course he was tired by this time, however, and relieved to retire to the lovely suite that he stayed in back in 1972 so he could get some rest.”
 

“Regret How Things were Handled with Regard to the Press”

Gardar Sverrisson, one of Bobby Fischer’s chief supporters in Iceland, said in an interview with the Morgunbladid Online News Desk that he regrets, on behalf of the media people who, in many cases, traveled long distances to cover Mr. Fischer’s arrival in Iceland, that one Icelandic media crew should go as far as it actually did in order to monopolize the coverage of the event.

“At the last minute, we received the information that we should meet Miyoko and Bobby inside the hotel, which we naturally did. They seemed extremely relieved to meet us at last under normal circumstances,” said Sverrisson. “So the goal seems not at all to have been to prevent their meeting us, but rather to keep media people other than Channel 2 reporters from getting close to them.

The media members who showed up were not only from Iceland. There were a large number of foreign reporters as well, and many of them had traveled a long way in order to follow this historical event. From the beginning, we had done our best to keep them all informed of the status of the case, as it is very important, in such a battle, to have the press on your side.

For their sake I am really sorry that one Icelandic media agent should go so far, especially because it was these people whom we had trusted so much that we let them right into our inner circle, and they had promised us faithfully that that trust was mutual.”
 

Bobby & Miyoko
 

Bobby & Sæmi
 

Welcoming Banquet
 

Bobby at the Banquet, making a point
 

Miyoko & Einar S. Einarsson
 

GM H. Olafsson with his idol
 

Guðmundur G. Thórarinsson & Bobby
 

The RJF Committee - Citizenship Brief
 

Einar S. Einarsson´s Address of welcome to Bobby Fischer:

Ladies  & Gentlemen,  Our dear Guest of Honor :   Bobby Fischer

As I bid you once again heartily  welcome to your new homeland its my honor and priviledge on behalf of the RJFischer Committee to hand you The Letter of your new Citizenship  issued by the Ministry of Justice and copies of the Law of Althingi granting you the  Icelandic Citizenship.

We  very happy for that and  that our effort  and  mission for your  release from detention and injustice in Japan (kidnapping  said Bobby)  ended with full success.

We are thrilled with joy and contentment that you are free and are able to be with us here today  and  wish you all the best for your future as an respectful Icelander.

Enjoy your new chapter of life to come.  Many congratulations.

Bobby: responded only:   Thank you, thank you very much!
 

A little summary from AN INTERVIEW WITH BOBBY FISCHER in MORGUNBLADID, last Sunday.

(which beside being the only conservative daily in Iceland,  is also oldest and most influential newspaper in the country).   Among many interesting points or topics in the interview  Bobby is asked about:

What is his most remarkable or beautiful game of chess:?  Asked about his best or most beautiful game of chess Fischer responded, after  a long thought,:  Probably the party I played with Donald Byrne in 1956, which has been refered to sometimes earlier as “ the game of the century”  (?)

  “My opponent does not seem to do any serious mistake but looses very quickly.  The perfect game of chess does not exist, not even that one against Byrne,  I took a risk by the move Na4!”

......... Then Bobby goes on to say that the old chess is finished as a competional sport  for professionals, because of the use of computers, but still fine for amateur who play for the pleasure.

... he declares that he has lost all interest in the "old chess", it has lost its challenge as a competitive sport on professional basis because it has been computerized, and just a question of memorising variations.  Still is ok and fine for children and amateurs who play for the pleasure and from their heart (own minds).

... the future of chess is with Fischer Random which is much more difficult and can't be prearranged in competition.

Furthermore :

...Bobby talks about his kidnapping in Japan, which he calls a conspiracy by the Japanese and US Governments.

... about his detainment and the harsh conditions

... talks about his new clock

.... his friendship with Saemi, the policeman who is so un-policeman-like

....that he does not owe any taxeis in the US

.... his personal views, Jews, US, the Holocaust, if he is wrong what about that "it is no law against saying or declaring that the moon is made out of green cheese."  Galileo was also believed to be wrong when he said the earth was not flat but like a ball.

......Bobby criticises, after having watch the video In Memoriam, about the Karahnjukar Hydroelectric Project in East Iceland and the Power Contract between Landsvirkjun, the National Power Company and Alcoa Inc., the big American company, claims that this huge project is much harm to the environment if Iceland, which has the largest unspoiled open wilderness in Europe, then goes on to say that this must be stopped, it  will be the beginning of the End for tourism in Iceland and even for the country itself.

..... he claims that Iceland should cut off all relation with the US, close the US base at Keflavik, close down the US Embassy and prohibit all business with the US.
 

Here are two posters (in pdf format) just for fun,  which are a sort of collectors item, and were designed for Bobby Welcome Party:

FreeBobbyFischer, dated 13 July 2004, the day he was “kidnapped”
BobbyFischerFree, dated 24 March 2005, the day he was released and arrived to Iceland.
 

Following is an Open Letter to Bobby , apparently by a anonymous Icelander:

Fischer Freedom Watch - Part One
Fischer Freedom Watch - Part Two

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