Faroese independence movement

[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.

[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.

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.

[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.

[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.

[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.

Faroese Prime Minister Kaj 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.

[29][30] This emboldened independence activists to heighten secession dialogue, which Danish counterparts claims is at the highest level in 20 years.

[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.