The anti-NATO riot in Iceland of 30 March 1949 was prompted by the decision of the

Alþingi The Alþingi (''general meeting'' in Icelandic, , anglicised as ' or ') is the supreme national parliament of Iceland. It is one of the oldest surviving parliaments in the world. The Althing was founded in 930 at ("thing fields" or "assembly ...

, the Icelandic parliament, to join the newly formed

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

, thereby involving Iceland directly in the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, opposing the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen national ...

and re-militarizing the country.

Protest

Several hundred protesters first convened behind 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 Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of th ...

announced over a loudspeaker that the leader of his party was held hostage inside the Parliament building, things became violent. Rocks and eggs were tossed at the building, some breaking the windows and one narrowly missing the head of the Parliamentary president, until the Reykjavík

police The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...

force, aided by volunteers from the

Independence Party Independence Party may refer to: Active parties Outside United States * Independence Party (Egypt) * Estonian Independence Party * Independence Party (Finland) * Independence Party (Iceland) * Independence Party (Mauritius) * Independence Part ...

intervened, beating rioters down and eventually launching

tear gas Tear gas, also known as a lachrymator agent or lachrymator (), sometimes colloquially known as "mace" after the early commercial aerosol, is a chemical weapon that stimulates the nerves of the lacrimal gland in the eye to produce tears. In ad ...

grenades at the rioters. It was the first time police in Iceland used tear gas against protesters and the only time until 2009, when police used it during the Icelandic financial crisis protests. The riot continued also after the conclusion of the vote and lasted for several hours.

Aftermath

Despite violent opposition, Iceland's membership in NATO was confirmed. After the event, protests by anti-NATO activists were commonplace. The left parties in the 1950s and 1960s parliamentary elections promised to put an end to the bilateral U.S.-Icelandic Defence Agreement, but dropped these promises after becoming part of the ruling coalitions. The slogan "Iceland out of NATO and the Army out!" ("''Ísland úr NATO og herinn burt!''") became a part of Icelandic culture. In 1974, the government proposed closing down the Keflavik base, but a petition campaign gathered a quarter of the population's signatures. The government fell out of power, and it was replaced by a decidedly pro-NATO government. On 30 September 2006, the

US Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

unilaterally withdrew the last of its military force from

Keflavík airport Keflavík (pronounced , meaning ''Driftwood Bay'') is a town in the Reykjanes region in southwest Iceland. It is included in the municipality of Reykjanesbær whose population as of 2016 is 15,129. In 1995, Keflavik merged with nearby Njarðv ...

. In 2016, the United States began preparations to re-establish its presence at the base. In 2017, the United States announced its intention to construct a modern air base on the peninsula. The protagonist of the novel ''

Angels of the Universe ''Angels of the Universe'' (Icelandic: ''Englar alheimsins'' ()) is a 2000 Icelandic film directed and produced by Friðrik Þór Friðriksson. The leading role is played by Ingvar E. Sigurðsson, who was nominated for the European Film Awards ...

'' is born during the riot.

Gallery

File:People gather in front of the House of the Althing, March 30th 1949.jpg, People gather in front of the House of the Althing. File:Police are prepared for trouble in front of the House of the Althing, March 30th 1949..jpg, Police are prepared for trouble in front of the House of the Althing. File:Overview over Austurvöllur, in front of the House of the Althing, March 30th 1949..jpg, Overview over Austurvöllur, in front of the House of the Althing File:Overview over Austurvöllur and the House of the Althing, March 30th 1949..jpg, Overview over Austurvöllur and the House of the Althing. File:Overview over Austurvöllur, Reykjavik Cathedral and the House of the Althing, March 30th 1949..jpg, Overview over Austurvöllur, Reykjavik Cathedral and the House of the Althing. File:People gather for a meeting at the old school, by Tjörnin in downtown Reykjavik..jpg, People gather for a meeting at the old school, by Tjörnin in downtown Reykjavik File:In the throng in front of the House of the Althing, during anti-NATO protests..jpg, In the throng in front of the House of the Althing during anti-NATO protests. File:Fighting breaks out between anti- and pro-NATO supporters, and police..jpg, Fighting breaks out between anti- and pro-NATO supporters, and police. The windows of the House of the Althing have been smashed. File:People flee from tear gas unleashed by police..jpg, People flee from tear gas unleashed by police. File:Policemen in gas masks guard Austurvöllur after dispersing the crowd with tear gas..jpg, Policemen in gas masks guard Austurvöllur after dispersing the crowd with tear gas.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:1949 Anti-Nato Riot In Iceland Anti-NATO riot in Iceland Anti-NATO riot in Iceland Anti-militarism in Europe Iceland and NATO Opposition to NATO Political riots Protests in Iceland Riots and civil disorder in Iceland March 1949 events in Europe