The
Icelandic NATO riot of March 30 1949 is arguably the most famous riot in
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
ic history. It was prompted by the decision of Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, to join the newly formed
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
, thereby involving Iceland directly in the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
, opposing the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and re-militarizing the country.
The protesters first convened behind
Miðbæjarskóli, a school in the centre of Reykjavík and then marched on Austurvöllur, a small park in front of the parliament building, where a throng of people had already arrived positioning themselves between the parliament and the rioters, intending to defend it.
At first the demonstrators were calm, but when a leading member of the Socialist Party announced over a loudspeaker that the leader of his party was held hostage inside the Parliament building, things became violent.
Rocks were tossed at the building, some breaking the windows and one narrowly missing the head of the Parliamentary president, until the
ReykjavíkReykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's most northern capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
policeThe Icelandic National Police is the main police force of Iceland. It is responsible for law enforcement on all Icelandic territories except at sea where the Icelandic Coast Guard enforces the law. The two services assist each other as needed.- History :...
force, aided by volunteers from the
Independence PartyThe Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. It was formed in 1929 through a merger of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. The party supports Icelandic membership of NATO but is opposed to the idea of joining the European Union. The party's position on EU...
intervened, beating rioters down and eventually launching tear gas grenades at the mob.
No official estimate exists of the number of participants, but photographic evidence clearly shows that thousands of people were present.
The details of this event have largely been obscured by opposing opinions and lack of neutrality in discussion.
The
Icelandic NATO riot of March 30 1949 is arguably the most famous riot in
IcelandThe Republic of Iceland is a European island country located in the North Atlantic Ocean. It has a population of about 320,000 and a total area of 103,000 km². Its capital and largest city is Reykjavík, whose surrounding area is home to approximately two thirds of the national population...
ic history. It was prompted by the decision of Alþingi, the Icelandic parliament, to join the newly formed
NATOThe North Atlantic Treaty Organization ); ), also called "the Atlantic Alliance", is an intergovernmental military alliance based on the North Atlantic Treaty which was signed on April 4, 1949...
, thereby involving Iceland directly in the
Cold WarThe Cold War was the continuing state of political conflict, military tension, and economic competition existing after World War II , primarily between the USSR and its satellite states, and the powers of the Western world, including the United States...
, opposing the
Soviet UnionThe Union of Soviet Socialist Republics was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. The name is a translation of the , tr. Soyuz Sovetskikh Sotsialisticheskikh Respublik, abbreviated СССР, SSSR. The common short name is Soviet Union, from , Sovetskiy Soyuz...
and re-militarizing the country.
The protesters first convened behind
Miðbæjarskóli, a school in the centre of Reykjavík and then marched on Austurvöllur, a small park in front of the parliament building, where a throng of people had already arrived positioning themselves between the parliament and the rioters, intending to defend it.
At first the demonstrators were calm, but when a leading member of the Socialist Party announced over a loudspeaker that the leader of his party was held hostage inside the Parliament building, things became violent.
Rocks were tossed at the building, some breaking the windows and one narrowly missing the head of the Parliamentary president, until the
ReykjavíkReykjavík is the capital and largest city of Iceland. Its latitude at 64°08' N makes it the world's most northern capital of a sovereign state. It is located in southwestern Iceland, on the southern shore of Faxaflói Bay...
policeThe Icelandic National Police is the main police force of Iceland. It is responsible for law enforcement on all Icelandic territories except at sea where the Icelandic Coast Guard enforces the law. The two services assist each other as needed.- History :...
force, aided by volunteers from the
Independence PartyThe Independence Party is a centre-right political party in Iceland. It was formed in 1929 through a merger of the Conservative Party and the Liberal Party. The party supports Icelandic membership of NATO but is opposed to the idea of joining the European Union. The party's position on EU...
intervened, beating rioters down and eventually launching tear gas grenades at the mob.
No official estimate exists of the number of participants, but photographic evidence clearly shows that thousands of people were present.
Aftermath
The details of this event have largely been obscured by opposing opinions and lack of neutrality in discussion. Despite violent opposition, Iceland's membership in NATO was confirmed.
After the event, protests by anti-NATO activists were commonplace. The slogan "Iceland out of NATO and the Army out!" ("
Ísland úr NATO og herinn burt!") became a part of Icelandic culture. It has however largely lost its meaning after 2006 when the US Navy left the
military baseUnited States Naval Air Station Keflavik is a former NATO facility at Keflavík International Airport, Iceland. It was located on the Reykjanes peninsula on the south-west portion of the island. NASKEF was closed on September 8, 2006.-Overview:...
that had been run at
Keflavík airportKeflavík International Airport , also known as Reykjavík-Keflavík Airport, is the largest airport in Iceland and the country’s main hub for international transportation. It is situated west of Keflavík, about from Reykjavík. The airport has two runways and the airport area is about...
since the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
Right leaning historians, such as
Þór WhiteheadÞór Whitehead is an Icelandic historian. He is currently a professor at the University of Iceland.Whitehead has written extensively on the history of Iceland during World War II and the Cold War. His best known work is the multi-volume series "Ísland í síðari heimsstyrjöld"...
, consider the riot as an attempted
coup d'étatA coup d'état , or coup for short, is the sudden unconstitutional deposition of a legitimate government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another, either civil or military...
by the communist minority. The failure of the coup d'état is generally attributed to the number of civilians willing to protect the parliament and the skills of the
Icelandic PoliceThe Icelandic National Police is the main police force of Iceland. It is responsible for law enforcement on all Icelandic territories except at sea where the Icelandic Coast Guard enforces the law. The two services assist each other as needed.- History :...
who had, just a few years before, pacified the Victory Day riot in 1945 where thousands of
AlliedThe Allies of World War II were the countries that opposed the Axis powers during the Second World War . The involvement of the Allies in World War II was either natural and inevitable they were invaded or under the direct threat of invasion by the Axis or compelled by concerns that the Axis powers...
soldiers and sailors went berserk in Reykjavík, celebrating the victory over Nazi Germany.
See also
- Alþingi
- Angels of the Universe
Angels of the Universe is an Icelandic film released in 2000 and directed by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. The leading role is played by Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, who was nominated for the European Film Awards for best acting...
(a novel whose protagonist is born during the riot)
External links
- A picture of the riots from Morgunblaðið
Morgunblaðið is a newspaper published in Iceland, founded by Vilhjálmur Finsen & Olaf Björnsson. The first issue, only eight pages long, was published on November 2, 1913. Six years later, in 1919, the corporation Árvakur bought out the company...
.