2009 Icelandic financial crisis protests

Some of the 6000 protesters in front of the Alþingishús, seat of the Icelandic parliament, on 15 November 2008

The 2009–2011 Icelandic financial crisis protests, also referred to as the Kitchenware, Kitchen Implement or Pots and Pans Revolution[1][2] (Icelandic: Búsáhaldabyltingin), occurred in the wake of the Icelandic financial crisis. There had been regular and growing protests since October 2008 against the Icelandic government's handling of the financial crisis. The protests intensified on 20 January 2009 with thousands of people protesting at the parliament (Althing) in Reykjavík.[3][4][5] These were at the time the largest protests in Icelandic history.[6]

Protesters were calling for the resignation of government officials and for new elections to be held.[7] The protests stopped for the most part with the resignation of the old government led by the right-wing Independence Party.[8] A new left-wing government was formed after elections in late April 2009. It was supportive of the protestors and initiated a reform process that included the judicial prosecution before the Landsdómur of former Prime Minister Geir Haarde.

Several referendums were held to ask the citizens about whether to pay the Icesave debt of their banks. From a complex and unique process, 25 common people, of no political party, were to be elected to form an Icelandic Constitutional Assembly that would write a new Constitution of Iceland. After some legal problems, a Constitutional Council, which included those people, presented a Constitution Draft to the Iceland Parliament on 29 July 2011.[9]

  1. ^ Leigh Phillips (27 April 2009). "Iceland Turns Left and Edges Toward EU". Bloomberg Business Week. Archived from the original on 23 July 2013. Retrieved 20 October 2011.
  2. ^ Magnússon, Sigurdur: Wasteland With Words, 2010. Reaktion Books, London. p. 265.
  3. ^ Gunnarsson, Valur (21 January 2009). "Icelandic lawmakers return to work amid protests". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  4. ^ "Iceland protesters demand government step down". Reuters. 20 January 2009. Archived from the original on 3 February 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  5. ^ Gunnarsson, Valur; Lawless, Jill (22 January 2009). "Icelandic police tear gas protesters". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 31 January 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  6. ^ Önnudóttir, Eva H. (19 December 2016). "The "Pots and Pans" protests and requirements for responsiveness of the authorities". Icelandic Review of Politics & Administration. 12 (2): 195–214. doi:10.13177/irpa.a.2016.12.2.1. hdl:20.500.11815/230. ISSN 1670-679X.
  7. ^ "Opposition attempts to call Iceland elections, bypassing PM". icenews.is. 22 January 2009. Archived from the original on 24 January 2009. Retrieved 22 January 2009.
  8. ^ Nyberg, Per (26 January 2009). "Icelandic government falls; asked to stay on". CNN. Archived from the original on 29 January 2009. Retrieved 31 January 2009.
  9. ^ "Stjórnlagaráð 2011 – English". Stjornlagarad.is. 29 July 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2011.