A newspaper photographer was attacked by Iceland's singing and song writing sensation Bjork at Auckland International Airport yesterday.
Bjork, who is in Auckland to perform at the Big Day Out on Friday, tore New Zealand Herald photographer Glenn Jeffrey's shirt in half, after he photographed her arriving at 7.50am yesterday.
Jeffrey, a news photographer of 25 years, said Bjork was accompanied by a man who asked him not take photographs.
"I took a couple of pictures and I got about three or four frames of her and as I turned and walked away she came up behind me, grabbed the back of my black skivvy and tore it down the back.
"As she did this she fell over, she fell to the ground. At no stage did I touch her or speak with her."
Bjork said nothing throughout the incident but the man with her was saying: "B, don't do this, B, don't do this, "' Jeffrey said.
Bjork is known to be feisty but experts say she must have been particularly angry this time.
“I think it would be easy to be pretty easy to assume for it to seem not out of character, however I’d like to see the security footage - do you know how hard it is to rip a skivvy clean in half,” says C4 producer Leander Borrett.
Both Auckland airport and Glenn Jeffery turned down an on-camera interview.
While the airport admits it does have security footage of the incident it says they will only use it if a complaint is laid.
So will there be a complaint?
Jeffrey says he can't say just at the moment but he is getting legal advice.
Police say they have not yet received a formal complaint but will treat it like any other case if they do.
It was unusually free of paparazzi outside Auckland’s Hyatt hotel where Bjork is rumoured to be staying - it seems fellow photographers were not taking any chances.
And who would blame them – it is not the first time Bjork has lashed out at journalists - the most famous attack was in 1996 in Thailand.
The alleged Auckland attack is also making waves worldwide.
It has already popped up on the gossip site of Perez Hilton and overseas papers.
While a full investigation of yesterday's incident is yet to come - muso's pick Bjork's Big Day Out performance is sure to be a ripper.
NZPA
source: newshub archive
