Knights of Love
“Our society is filled with knights of love, countless volunteers who give generously of themselves to help others.”
In early September 2024, President Halla Tómasdóttir hosted a dialogue at Bessastaðir, convening a group of young people and various people focused on the well-being of children and youth. The impetus for the meeting was the tragic death of teenager Bryndís Klara Birgisdóttir, who passed away after a knife attack on Reykjavík Culture Night the month before. In the wake of that tragedy, Bryndís Klara’s family and friends urged people to honour her memory by making compassion the most powerful force in Icelandic society.
Shortly thereafter, the Bryndís Klara Memorial Fund was officially established, and an informal movement, called the Knights of Love, came into being. The objective is to urge people to find creative ways to spread compassion and kindness and thereby increase empathy throughout society. The Knights of Love have hosted compassion circles, diverse events and raised signficant funds for the Bryndís Klara Memorial Fund, which supports violence-prevention programmes aimed at kids and young adults. The fund has provided grants for education, research, and projects in hopes of preventing another tragedy like that which took Bryndís Klara’s life.
The president serves as patron of both the memorial fund and the Knights of Love movement and uses every opportunity to emphasise that love is always a choice and anyone can choose to be a Knight of Love
