Iceland President Gudni Th. Johannesson's strong opposition to pineapples on pizzas has caused a public outcry. The president had told the students of Icelandic high school last week that he would ban the fruity toppings on pizza if he could.
The president was at the high school in Akureyri when he responded to students' questions stating that his favourite football team was Manchester United and he was "fundamentally opposed" to pineapple on pizzas.
The media reports caused a huge social media outcry prompting the president to release a statement of Facebook saying that that he does not have the power to ban pizza toppings and added that he is "glad that I do not hold such power."
Pineapple Pizza isn't for everybody. You need a certain level of intelligence to really vibe to it's flavor.
— trap dad (@terminaIIychilI) February 22, 2017
Always a good day when they put tons of pineapple on my pizza ??
— Kalani Hilliker (@KalaniHilliker) February 23, 2017
people who say that pineapple on pizza is an abomination are the same who claim they've never peed in the shower before
— lindslay (@lindsaydemeola) February 23, 2017
Some, however, stood with the president, and expressed their dislike for the particular toppings on pizzas.
Iceland's President is the hero we all need right now... #pineappleonpizza
— lalammar (@Layla_AlAmmar) February 21, 2017
Iceland's President has said he would ban pineapple on pizza. The type of guy that should be leading us here in the UK
— Mark Lawrence (@MLawrenceJourno) February 21, 2017
Johannesson, who is a former history professor, said that he "would not want to hold this position if I could pass laws forbidding that which I don't like. I would not want to live in such a country. For pizzas, I recommend seafood."
The Iceland president enjoys huge popularity in the country ever since he was elected last June. He donates 10 percent of his pre-tax salary to charity and is also the first president of any country to march in a Gay Pride parade.
