Flag Day

Iceland, which is technically not a colony but a sovereign state which happens to have the same King as Denmark, celebrated the 1,000th anniversary of its parliament month ago (TIME, July 7). Great Britain sent its largest battleship, foreign newspapers sent reporters, the world was made Iceland-conscious. Omitted from the festivities were the 21 bleary, rain-drenched Faroe Islands which straggle through the North Atlantic between Iceland and the Shetlands and have been Danish territory since 1386. Life is hard in the Faroes. Their industries are cod-fishing, sheep-raising, knitting golf sweaters, plucking puffin feathers. Their amusements are negligible. Brooding over their Icelandic slight, last week the Faroe Islanders took action.

In Thorshavn, chief Faroe village, Poul Petubson, Faroe delegate to the Danish Parliament, called an indignation meeting. Later a crowd of inflamed cod fishermen with Delegate Petubson at their head swept through the streets to the Lagting (local parliament) building, brushed aside Thorshavn's lone policeman, hauled down the Danish flag, a white cross on a red field, and hoisted the Faroes' banner--a blue-trimmed red cross on a white field.

Officials were incensed. Down came the Faroe flag, up went the Danish. Out came Delegate Petubson again, and while cod fishers cheered, up went the Faroe flag once more.

In Copenhagen Prime Minister Stauning showed no alarm over the Faroes' flag day. "Flags have a peculiar power over some people," said he. "The Thorshavn affair should not be taken too seriously."

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