Political movement seeking independence of the Faroe Islands from Denmark
The
Faroese independence movement
(
Faroese
:
Føroyska Tjoðskaparrørslan
), or the
Faroese national movement
(
Føroyska Sjalvstyrisrørslan
), is a
political movement
which seeks the establishment of the
Faroe Islands
as a
sovereign state
outside of
Denmark
.
[1]
[2]
[3]
Reasons for independence include the
linguistic
and
cultural divide
between Denmark and the Faroe Islands as well as their lack of proximity to one another; the Faroe Islands are about 990 km (620 mi) from Danish shores.
History of sovereignty
[
edit
]
Pre-Denmark
[
edit
]
Norsemen
settled the islands around 800 AD, bringing the
Old Norse
language that evolved into the modern
Faroese language
. These settlers are not thought to have come directly from Scandinavia, but rather from Norse communities surrounding the
Irish Sea
,
Northern Isles
and
Western Isles
of
Scotland
, including the
Shetland
and
Orkney
islands, and
Norse-Gaels
. A traditional name for the islands in the
Irish language
,
Na Scigiri
, means 'the Skeggjar' and possibly refers to the
Eyja-Skeggjar
('island-beards'), a nickname given to the island dwellers.
According to
Færeyinga Saga
, emigrants left Norway who did not approve of the monarchy of
Harald I of Norway
. These people settled the Faroes around the end of the 9th century.
[4]
It is thus officially held that the islands' Nordic language and culture are derived from the early Norwegians.
[5]
The islands were a
possession
of the
Kingdom of Norway (872?1397)
from 1035 until their incorporation into Denmark.
Under Danish rule
[
edit
]
The islands have been ruled, with brief interruptions, by the Danish government since 1388, all the time being part of Norway up until 1814. Although the state of
Denmark?Norway
was thoroughly divided by the
Treaty of Kiel
of 1814, the Faroe Islands remained in Danish hands.
[6]
A series of discriminatory policies were put in place soon after the treaty; the Faroese parliament, the
Løgting
was abolished in 1816 along with the post of
Prime Minister of the Faroe Islands
. The aforementioned offices were replaced by a Danish judiciary.
[7]
Concurrently, the usage of the
Faroese language
was generally discouraged
[
vague
]
and
Danish
was instilled as the official language of the region.
[
citation needed
]
The renewed
Danish Constitution
of 1849 granted the Faroese two seats in the Danish Parliament
Rigsdagen
.
[8]
1852 saw the restoration of the Løgting, albeit merely as an 18-member consultative body to the Danish authorities.
[9]
The nationalist fervor has its roots in late 19th century, established initially as a cultural and political movement which struggled for the rights of using the Faroese language in the schools, the church, in media and in the legislature. The designated start is believed to be the
Christmas Meeting of 1888
, which was held on December 22, 1888 in the Løgting (parliament) in
Torshavn
. Two of the persons who participated were
Joannes Patursson
and
Rasmus Effersøe
. Patursson had written a poem which Effersøe read aloud, the first line starts:
Nu er tann stundin komin til handa
,
[10]
which is often cited in support of the movement.
[11]
The poem was about preserving and taking care of the Faroese language; over the years it has gained a strong cultural footing in the Faroe Islands. The Faroese language was not allowed to be used in the Faroese public schools as a teaching language until 1938,
[12]
and in the church (Folkakirkjan) until 1939.
[13]
Young students who studied in Denmark played a prominent role in the nationalist movement. The
Faroese Merkið flag
was designed in 1919 by Faroese students in
Copenhagen
. Prior to the Merkið's utilization, there were other flags which some of the Faroese people identified themselves with, one was a flag featuring a ram and one was a flag with a
tjaldur
.
[14]
Denmark was
occupied by
Nazi Germany
as part of the
Second World War
on April 9, 1940. The
United Kingdom
, viewing the Faroe Islands as strategically valuable, began a
military occupation of the islands
in order to thwart further German conquest of Danish territory. This effectively put the Faroe Islands under British administration until the conclusion of the war in 1945.
[15]
Under British rule the Merkið was recognized as the official flag of the Faroes so that authorities could discern what vessels were Faroese fishing boats and which were hostile.
Status of autonomy
[
edit
]
In the
status quo
, the Faroe Islands is an
autonomous
area
of the
Kingdom of Denmark
,
[16]
sharing this distinction with
Greenland
.
[17]
In response to growing calls for autonomy, the
Home Rule
Act of the Faroe Islands was passed on March 23, 1948, cementing the latter's status as a
self-governing
country within
The Unity of the Realm
. The Act has also allowed the vast majority of domestic affairs to be ceded to the Faroese government, with the Danish government only responsible for
military defence
,
police
,
justice
,
currency
and
foreign affairs
.
[18]
The Faroe Islands are not
part of the European Union
. The Faroe Islands also have their own
national football team
and are a full member of
FIFA
and
UEFA
.
Political solutions
[
edit
]
Organizations
[
edit
]
Four
local political parties
seek independence from Denmark: the
People's Party
(
Hin føroyski folkaflokkurin
),
Republic
(
Tjoðveldi
),
Progress
(
Framsokn
) and
Centre Party
(
Miðflokkurin
). These parties, while spanning the political
left
and
right
, make up 17 of the Løgting's 33 seats.
[19]
In addition to this is the
Self-Government Party
(
Sjalvstyrisflokkurin
) generally touts the idea of sovereignty, albeit with a more moderate fervor than the aforementioned parties.
[20]
1946 referendum
[
edit
]
On September 14, 1946, a
referendum regarding independence
was held. With a valid vote count of 11,146, 50.74% voted in favor of independence while 49.26% opted to remain associated with Denmark, leaving a difference of 166 votes between the two options.
[21]
The chairman of the Løgting declared independence on September 18; this move was not recognised by the opposition parties, and it was annulled by Denmark on September 20.
[22]
King
Christian X of Denmark
subsequently dissolved the Løgting; it was swiftly replaced in the
parliamentary election held on November 8
, with parties favoring union with Denmark now retaining a majority.
[23]
Constitutional crisis
[
edit
]
The Danish and Faroese governments have consistently haggled over the drastic revision of the Faroese constitution, with many clauses clashing with
those of Denmark
.
[24]
The conflict reached its apex in 2011, when then-
Prime Minister of Denmark
Lars Løkke Rasmussen
declared that new edits could not coincide with the state's constitution. Rasmussen presented two options to the Faroese: secede or scrap the hypothetical constitution. Faroese Prime Minister
Kaj Leo Johannesen
asserted that they would begin a new draft of the constitution and remain in the Danish Realm.
[25]
Concerns of economic viability
[
edit
]
“It's currently only the money that actually connects us to Denmark. All Faroese agree that we should have our own schools and own language. The cultural battle is over. It’s the Danish money that is the obstacle to independence.”
?
Høgni Hoydal
, Faroese
MP
and leader of the Republic Party.
[26]
Although they enjoy a significant amount of autonomy from Denmark, the Faroe Islands still regularly rely on
USD
$99.8 million of government subsidies to keep their economy stable;
[24]
[
failed verification
]
in 1992 a banking decline of 25% sent the economy into a period of stagnation and 15% of the population to mainland Denmark.
[27]
Financial support from the Danish government takes up 4.6% of the Faroese
gross domestic product
and accounts for 10-12% of the public budget.
[26]
Norwegian
oil and gas company
Equinor
has taken interest in the prospects of oil in the waters off of the Faroe Islands, embarking on an estimated US$166.46 million
oil exploration
operation.
[27]
Exxon Mobil
and
Atlantic Petroleum
also hold stakes in the
drilling platforms
being installed in Faroese waters.
[28]
If these operations succeed and find the bountiful projected amounts of oil (USD $568,500 worth per each resident out of the Faroese population of 49,000) the prospect of independence may receive a boost.
[27]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Adler-Nissen, Rebecca
(2014).
"The Faroe Islands: Independence dreams, globalist separatism and the Europeanization of postcolonial home rule"
(PDF)
.
Cooperation and Conflict
.
49
(1): 55?79.
doi
:
10.1177/0010836713514150
.
ISSN
0010-8367
.
JSTOR
45084243
.
S2CID
13718740
.
- ^
Ackren, Maria (2006).
"The Faroe Islands: Options for Independence"
.
Islands Journal
.
1
.
- ^
Skaale, Sjurður. (2004).
The right to national self-determination : the Faroe Islands and Greenland
. Nijhoff.
ISBN
90-04-14207-X
.
OCLC
254447422
.
- ^
"The Faroe Islands, Faroese History ? A part of Randburg"
. Randburg.com. Archived from
the original
on 2012-09-07.
- ^
"About the Faroe Islands"
. Archived from
the original
on December 5, 2012
. Retrieved
2014-04-11
.
- ^
"The Peace Treaty of Kiel"
.
13 February 2007
. kongehuset.no
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"The Faroese Parliament"
(PDF)
. Logting. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 17 October 2017
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"Historical Timeline"
. Faroe Islands. Archived from
the original
on 22 October 2013
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"Historical overview"
(PDF)
. Logting
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
125 ar siðan jolafundin i 1888
- ^
Nu er tann stundin... Tjoðskaparrørsla og sjalvstyrispolitikkur til 1906
- ^
Føroyskar bokmentir, page 4 (in Faroese)
- ^
"Folkakirkjan"
. Archived from
the original
on 2015-03-08
. Retrieved
2014-04-21
.
- ^
"Tjoðskapur"
. Archived from
the original
on 2014-04-22
. Retrieved
2014-04-21
.
- ^
"Faroe Islands and the British occupation"
.
24 July 2013
. Sunvil Discovery
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"In Faroese"
. Logir.fo. Archived from
the original
on 21 February 2014
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"The unity of the Realm"
. Stm.dk
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
Lov om de færøske myndigheders overtagelse af sager og sagsomrader
(written in Danish)
- ^
"FAROES/DK"
. Parties and Elections in Europe
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"Government & Politics"
. Faroe Islands. Archived from
the original
on 30 August 2014
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"Faroe Islands, September 14, 1946: Status (In German)"
.
04 October 2013
. Direct Democracy
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"Faeroe (sic) Islands"
. World States Men
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
"FAROES/DK"
. DemocracyWatch. Archived from
the original
on 23 November 2014
. Retrieved
10 April
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Weinberg, Cory.
"Iceland's Neighbours Turn Up Heat On Declaring Independence"
.
07 April 2012
. Reykjavik Grapevine. Archived from
the original
on 13 April 2014
. Retrieved
11 April
2014
.
- ^
Alex.
"Denmark and Faroe Islands in constitutional clash"
.
6 July 2011
. Ice News. Archived from
the original
on 19 June 2021
. Retrieved
11 April
2014
.
- ^
a
b
Topdahl, Rolv.
"The Faroese nearer independence with oil"
.
20 August 2012
. Aenergy. Archived from
the original
on 13 April 2014
. Retrieved
11 April
2014
.
- ^
a
b
c
Topdahl, Rolv.
"Oil can turn the Faroe Islands into the new Kuwait"
.
23 August 2012
. Aenergy. Archived from
the original
on 13 April 2014
. Retrieved
11 April
2014
.
- ^
"Statoil to spud eighth Faroe well in two weeks"
.
1 June 2012
. Aenergy. Archived from
the original
on 13 April 2014
. Retrieved
11 April
2014
.
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