TheFaroese independence movement (Faroese:Føroyska tjóðskaparrørslan), or theFaroese national movement or (Faroese nationalism) (Føroyska sjálvstýrisrørslan), is apolitical movement which seeks the establishment of theFaroe Islands as asovereign state outside ofDenmark.[1][2][3] Reasons for independence include thelinguistic andcultural 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.
Norsemen settled the islands around 800 AD, bringing theOld Norse language that evolved into the modernFaroese language. These settlers are not thought to have come directly from Scandinavia, but rather from Norse communities surrounding theIrish Sea,Northern Isles andWestern Isles ofScotland, including theShetland andOrkney islands, andNorse-Gaels. A traditional name for the islands in theIrish language,Na Scigirí, means 'the Skeggjar' and possibly refers to theEyja-Skeggjar ('island-beards'), a nickname given to the island dwellers.[citation needed]
According toFæreyinga Saga, emigrants left Norway who did not approve of the monarchy ofHarald 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 apossession of theKingdom of Norway (872–1397) from 1035 until their incorporation into Denmark.
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 ofDenmark–Norway was thoroughly divided by theTreaty 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, theLøgting was abolished in 1816 along with the post ofPrime Minister of the Faroe Islands. The aforementioned offices were replaced by a Danish judiciary.[7] Concurrently, the usage of theFaroese language was generally discouraged[vague] andDanish was instilled as the official language of the region.[citation needed]
The renewedDanish Constitution of 1849 granted the Faroese two seats in the Danish ParliamentRigsdagen.[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 theChristmas Meeting of 1888, which was held on December 22, 1888 in the Løgting (parliament) inTórshavn. Two of the persons who participated wereJóannes Patursson andRasmus Effersøe. Patursson had written a poem which Effersøe read aloud, the first line starts:Nú 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 (Fólkakirkjan) until 1939.[13]
Young students who studied in Denmark played a prominent role in the nationalist movement. TheFaroese Merkið flag was designed in 1919 by Faroese students inCopenhagen. 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 atjaldur.[14]
Denmark wasoccupied byNazi Germany as part of theSecond World War on April 9, 1940. TheUnited Kingdom, viewing the Faroe Islands as strategically valuable, began amilitary 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.
In thestatus quo, the Faroe Islands is anautonomousarea of theKingdom of Denmark,[16] sharing this distinction withGreenland.[17] In response to growing calls for autonomy, theHome Rule Act of the Faroe Islands was passed on March 23, 1948, cementing the latter's status as aself-governing country withinThe 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 formilitary defence,police,justice,currency andforeign affairs.[18] The Faroe Islands are notpart of the European Union. The Faroe Islands also have their ownnational football team and are a full member ofFIFA andUEFA.
Fourlocal political parties seek independence from Denmark: thePeople's Party (Hin føroyski fólkaflokkurin),Republic (Tjóðveldi),Progress (Framsókn) andCentre Party (Miðflokkurin). These parties, while spanning the politicalleft andright, make up 17 of the Løgting's 33 seats.[19] In addition to this is theSelf-Government Party (Sjálvstýrisflokkurin) generally touts the idea of sovereignty, albeit with a more moderate fervor than the aforementioned parties.[20]
On September 14, 1946, areferendum 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] KingChristian X of Denmark subsequently dissolved the Løgting; it was swiftly replaced in theparliamentary election held on November 8, with parties favoring union with Denmark now retaining a majority.[23]
The Danish and Faroese governments have consistently haggled over the drastic revision of the Faroese constitution, with many clauses clashing withthose of Denmark.[24] The conflict reached its apex in 2011, when then-Prime Minister of DenmarkLars 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 MinisterKaj Leo Johannesen asserted that they would begin a new draft of the constitution and remain in the Danish Realm.[25]
In February 2017 both the ruling and opposition parties agreed on a new draft constitution, and put its ratification to a public referendum scheduled to be held in April 2018. This proposed new constitution would have included a clause that would have allowed a referendum on independence to be held, that required a simple majority to pass.[26] However, the committee assigned to approve the constitution failed to reach a consensus on the precise wording of other aspects of the constitution, in regards tomarriage equality andfamily law.[27] The committee failed to make a decision before the2019 Faroese general election, during which, unionist parties won 52% of seats in the Løgting, making it all but impossible to pass a new pro-independence constitution.[28]
The Faroese government again sought independence following the island's exclusion from activities of theNordic Council in 2024 as the Swedish government which held the rotating presidency for that year decided to exclude the Faroes,Greenland, andÅland.[29] Following Greenland's decision to boycott the council in response, the Faroes called for an amendment to theHelsinki Treaty to guarantee equal status, or the Faroes would withdraw from the council.[29][30] This emboldened independence activists to heighten secession dialogue, which Danish counterparts claims is at the highest level in 20 years.[29] The Danish and Icelandic governments have supported the reform initiatives, however, due to the Faroes being part of the Danish realm they may not be entitled to an equal footing in the council, hence the renewed talks for Independence.[30]
“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.”
Although they enjoy a significant amount of autonomy from Denmark, the Faroe Islands still regularly rely onUSD $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.[32] Financial support from the Danish government takes up 4.6% of the Faroesegross domestic product and accounts for 10-12% of the public budget.[31]
Norwegian oil and gas companyEquinor has taken interest in the prospects of oil in the waters off of the Faroe Islands, embarking on an estimated US$166.46 millionoil exploration operation.[32]ExxonMobil andAtlantic Petroleum also hold stakes in thedrilling platforms being installed in Faroese waters.[33] 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.[32]
