Prohibition in the Faroe Islands

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Brewery kettle at Restorffs Bryggjarí in Tórshavn, which was closed in 2007

With the prohibition in the Faroe Islands from 1907, the trade, production and serving of alcohol were forbidden. The ban was relaxed in several steps until it was finally lifted completely in 1992.

When the ban was introduced in 1907, it did so before Prohibition in Iceland (1915–1922), before Brennevinsforbud in Norway (1916–1927), and before most other countries during the Prohibition Period. The argument used by the abstinence movement was that alcohol abuse posed major social problems. The many Christian communities on the islands in particular pushed for access to alcohol to be restricted. In contrast to other western countries, which introduced a strict ban, but abolished it again in the 1930s at the latest, the Faroese kept the alcohol prohibition in parts up to 1992, which is why the Faroe Islands were also referred to as the “driest country in Europe”.

prehistory

Tórshavn in the 1890s

The abolition of the royal trade monopoly and the introduction of free trade in 1856 allowed easier access to alcohol and changed the islanders' drinking habits. The increase in accidents among drunk fishermen has been attributed to increasing alcohol abuse. In fact, many boats overturned during this time. In addition, the cohesion of the community that had grown over centuries was seen as threatened. The social problems therefore contributed to the strong growth of the abstinence movement at the turn of the century. Their goal was to establish a legal limit on alcohol sales, while the total abstinence movement even called for a complete ban. The abstinence movement described its own work as a link in the process of "civilizing" the Faroese. Although alcohol was customs-imposed in 1892 in order to cope with the increasing abuse of alcohol, the Faroese abstinence associations had collected more than 5,600 signatures in 1905 to ban alcohol. That corresponded to a third of the island's population at the time and 65 percent of those over twenty. Seldom before has a cause had such broad support among the Faroese. The Faroese parliament, the Løgting , then announced in a statement that alcohol should be limited, but only had an advisory role for the Danish government. One of the main culprits behind this company was the abstainer Oliver Effersøe from the Sambandsflokkurin party .

The influential politician Jóannes Patursson von der Sjálvstýrisflokkurin , on the other hand, had a more liberal stance on the subject. In the Folketing , the then second chamber of the Danish Reichstag, as a representative of the Faroe Islands, he had not done anything to get the Løgting's legislative proposal passed and as a member of the Løgtings, he spoke out against the proposal to limit alcohol. The well-known royal farmer came into conflict with the Løgting and with the majority of the Faroese people. In the Sjálvstýrisflokkurin's party newspaper, the Tingakrossur , he mocked the abstinence movement's signature campaign and said that the Danish Reichstag would hardly implement the proposal and that "with a clear conscience he would leave the rolling pin at home in the Faroe Islands". This statement was a sure sign of his "political suicide".

Before the introduction

Jóannes Patursson around the turn of the century

After Patursson did not want to do anything about the matter in the Folketing, the abstinence associations and Rasmus Christoffer Effersøe decided to travel to Copenhagen with their 5,601 signatures . Patursson was right to believe that Danish politicians would not support the bill. The parliamentarians were of the opinion that it did not fit in a liberal time to deny the people beer or aquavit . For Danes, who viewed a beer and a glass of aquavit as part of social coexistence, a ban would have been completely inappropriate. But the matter was a purely Faroese matter and when the pressure got too great, the Reichstag decided by law to restrict alcohol sales in the Faroe Islands if a majority of the island's population should vote in favor. The matter was of great importance for the election campaign for the Folketing, which Patursson lost to Oliver Effersøe in 1906. Before the Løgting elections in the same year, Patursson launched his plan for how the Faroe Islands should become an independent state, but the referendum for prohibition weighed heavier and the self-governing party Sjálvstýrisflokkurin missed a majority with only eight out of 20 seats.

Prohibition time

Referendum and introduction

In 1907, a referendum on the introduction of the "Sobriety Law" (Ædruelighedsloven) was held to find out what the people thought. Anyone over 25 could vote. This was also the first election in which women in the Faroe Islands had the right to vote. When the result was established, it showed that only 137 voters were in favor of selling alcohol, while an overwhelming majority of 3,558 voters (96 percent) voted against. The law has now been implemented and initially applied for the first five years. In 1912 it was then extended.

be right Proportion of (%)
For sale 137 3.8
Against the sale 3,558 96.2
total 3,695 100.0

For many, the referendum was a turning point. On this occasion, the abstinence movement arranged a large parade in Tórshavn with flags and chants. From then on, trading in and serving of schnapps and beer was prohibited. For the ten dealers with a license to sell and serve, the prohibition meant a major loss of income. There were four dealers in Tórshavn, four in Tvøroyri and two in Klaksvík . Customers rushed to the traders from all corners of the archipelago and the stores emptied at one stroke. After that, the alcohol was only sold black for a long time, especially before Christmas.

import

In 1928 the alcohol ban was relaxed somewhat. Residents of the islands who had no tax debts were given permission to import alcohol for their own consumption. In 1949, a year after the autonomy, the import of alcohol was again limited. No more than nine bottles of spirits per person were allowed to be imported every quarter for personal consumption. In fact, very few people ordered this amount, because alcohol consumption was still considerably lower than that of the Danes. In 1973, a referendum rejected the proposal to give breweries permission to brew strong beer. Residents who enjoy drinking helped themselves by registering in so-called "beer clubs", which are still found in all larger towns. The two breweries Føroya Bjór and Restorffs Bryggjarí had extra strong beer, which could only be imported privately, brewed under license by the Danish breweries Harboes Bryggeri in Skælskør and Wiibroes Bryggeri in Helsingør .

Easing 1980

Old Faroese beer bottles

In April 1980, the two breweries were given permission to brew and sell beer initially with 4.6% (later 5.8%) percent alcohol. That is stronger than the light beer allowed until then with a maximum of 2.7%. The two Faroese breweries used the new law to introduce new types of beer. At the same time, the import of beer with an alcohol content of more than 4.6% (today 5.8%) and spirits with more than 60% alcohol were banned. The Faroese breweries struggled to offer their beer as cheaply as the imported Danish beer. But the situation gradually stabilized, so that Faroese beer soon made up 90% of total sales. Faroese beer is of such high quality that Føroya Bjór has regularly won Danish beer awards.

End of prohibition

Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins

In order to save taxes, the alcohol-consuming part of the population imported higher-proof alcohol instead of beer. Because of this, the Løgting passed a new law on March 20, 1992, which allowed the sale and serving of alcohol. The sale of alcoholic goods should be regulated by state-controlled shops, the so-called Rúsdrekkasøla Landsins (in German literally: "Drinks sale of the country"; analogously: "alcohol business of the country"). These monopoly institutions were based on the example of the Norwegian Vinmonopolet , the Swedish Systembolaget , the Icelandic Vínbúðin and the Finnish Alko . In motherland Denmark, on the other hand, there are no facilities of this kind. The shops, known locally as rúsan , are the only ones selling alcohol in the open, but light beer, called ljóst pilsnar , is an exception, as it can be sold anywhere with 2.7% alcohol become. On November 2, 1992, sales began in the two largest towns on the islands, in Tórshavn and Klaksvík. Just six months later, four more branches were opened in Trongisvágur , Skálavík , Saltangará and Miðvágur . The rush of those keen to buy was so great that the demand for extended opening times quickly arose.

Bar

The approval for serving in restaurants and hotels came into force in June 1992, whereby the age limit is 18 years. At first there were only two hotels in Tórshavn that were licensed, but in July 1992 six more hotels and restaurants followed in just as many towns.

In June 1993, the license to serve alcohol was extended to all eleven beer clubs. In order to gain entry, you still have to be registered with some or have been invited by a member. The beer clubs, which continue to exist despite the lifting of prohibition, now have to assert themselves alongside the hotels and restaurants.

See also

literature

Web links

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Even two years after prohibition, Faroese alcohol consumption in 1994 was only 50% of that of the Danes. See: Færøerne - sundhedsforhold.