Skyr bandit being taken away in handcuffs, plus pics of damages. #Iceland #PanamaLeaks #cashljós pic.twitter.com/spk9ZRf7Tu
— Elias Thorsson (@Eliasthorsson) April 4, 2016
It should probably come as no surprise that I love Iceland, perhaps because it’s a quirky place that feels very comfortable and welcoming and…different. While it’s a sovereign nation, it has the feel of a small town imbued with the same sense of the absurd that you’d find in Stanford University’s marching band. No one seems to take themselves or matters of state terribly seriously, but even Icelanders have their limits when it comes to government corruption.
The news that Prime Minister Sigmundur David Gunnlaugsson was tied up in shady dealings regarding an offshore company was bad enough. That he sold it to his wife for $1 before he would have had to declare it as a conflict of interest didn’t sit well with Icelanders, who generally and understandably have a low threshold for corruption. It may seem like much ado about nothing…until you consider that a few of the country’s banks almost literally brought Iceland’s economy to its knees in 2009. Corruption almost nuked Iceland’s economy, so if citizens are perhaps a bit hypersensitive about ethically challenged public officials, it’s certainly understandable.
Gunnlaugsson’s interview with a Swedish news station was an unqualifed disaster for him. Unaware that the “Panama Papers” leak had outed him, the Prime Minister stumbled foolishly when questioned about whether or not he had an interest in an offshore company. Evidently, lying on the fly is not in Gunnlaugsson’s skill set…which seems odd for a politician, but this is Iceland we’re talking about. Even the politicians are different, in some cases even rather ham-handed when it comes to managing and explain lapses of integrity.
It’s been said that all politics is local. In Iceland, everything is local.
When you think of protests in the United States, you probably imagine militarized cops in SWAT gear, pepper spray, shootings, and billy club beatdowns. In Iceland, they’re hurling yogurt.
Thousands of protestors staked out Iceland’s Parliament building today, after the country’s Prime Minister’s shady ties were revealed in yesterday’s Panama Papers leak. In other words: yogurt time.
According to Iceland Monitor, at least one protestor “approached the main building of the Icelandic Parliament (‘Alþingi’) and threw a number of tubs of Iceland’s famous skyr at the walls and windows.
After initially refusing to resign, Gunnlaugsson finally relented after realizing that he’d soon be facing a vote of no confidence in Parliament, a vote he had little to no hope of winning.
Not that things haven’t gotten exceedingly weird since Gunnlaugsson resigned….
What happens next is anyone’s guess. There’s been some conjecture that the government may fall, necessitating elections to put a new government in place. While there will be the inevitable grousing and perhaps a sizable protest or two outside the Alþingi, Icelanders will eventually let matters take their course and get on with life. I suspect the time for Skyr tossing has probably passed, but most non-natives probably think that it’s undoubtedly the best use for what can be something of an acquired taste. I like it, but I can understand why many American palates would find it rather objectionable and suitable only for use as a projectile.
Personally, I hope things get sorted out and that Skyr will once again be allowed to serve its intended purpose and not be used as an objet de protestation. It could be worse, I suppose; in some countries protesters would be tossing things capable of doing far more damage.
