REYKJAVIK, Iceland – Thousands of people filled the sun-drenched square in front of Iceland’s Parliament early Monday evening, calling on the prime minister and his government to resign and hold new elections.

The anger was everywhere as protesters banged on the riot fence with pots, pans and planks of wood.

”I feel betrayed. Angry and betrayed,” said Björn Jónsson. "The prime minister has lied to us, and I think it’s very cocky of him to simply ignore everyone here tonight.”

Some protesters reportedly threw Skyr yoghurt and eggs at Parliament in protest.

Let the games beginn! A photo posted by Andri Sigurðsson (@andrisigurds) on Apr 4, 2016 at 7:02am PDT

Herman Valsson was here at the same square in 2008, when he protested politicians he believes were responsible for the financial crisis. Now he’s back, saying the scandal about the Prime Minister's offshore accounts hit hard.

"I was crying when I found out," said Herman Valsson. "We are all crying. We are all very disappointed. But this sadness is changing over into anger.”

Protesters gather in front of the Icelandic Parliament, Alltinget, on Monday evening. Image: Vilhelm Stokstad/Kontinent

The message at the protest in front of Alþingi, the Icelandic Parliament, was clear: Hold new elections as soon as possible.

The demands on Prime Minister Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson come after yesterday’s revelation that he, along with two other ministers in his government, has had money tucked away in offshore tax havens like the British Virgin Islands and Seychelles.

When people come together to support what they stand for #surreal #liveriot #protestagainstprimeminister #viewfromhotel A photo posted by ʝєѕѕι¢α αии (@jtru42) on Apr 4, 2016 at 10:42am PDT

As Parliament got back to work on Monday afternoon, a unified opposition also called for the prime minister to resign.

"The prime minister has not disclosed anything about this in the latest elections," said Katrín Jakobsdóttir, chairman of the Left-Green Movement. "This is very serious and we are asking the prime minister and his government to step aside, hold new elections and let the Icelandic people decide who they want to run the country.”

Sigmundur Davíð Gunnlaugsson has been on defense ever since he was confronted with the documents detailing his ties to tax havens. When he was first asked about his financial records on Swedish and Icelandic public service TV, the prime minister dismissed the accusations as ”foolish” and stormed out.

He has since insisted that all taxes have been paid on the money in question and accused the media of going after him in a targeted campaign. He has also dismissed the calls for his resignation.

"I have not considered resigning because of this, and I won’t resign because of this,” the prime minister told AFP.

PM sticking to line: nothing criminal, gov needs peace, leave my wife out of it. #Iceland #PanamaLeaks #cashljós — Elias Thorsson (@Eliasthorsson) April 4, 2016

PM: I most regret not being better at giving interviews, got confused and failed to be clear. #Iceland #PanamaLeaks #cashljós — Elias Thorsson (@Eliasthorsson) April 4, 2016

The story that broke on Sunday was part of a global collaborative journalistic effort known as "the Panama Papers," an unprecedented leak of 11.5 million files from one of the world’s biggest offshore law firms, Mossack Fonseca.

The protests were set off by an unprecedented journalistic effort to uncover corruption. Image: Vilhelm Stokstad/Kontinent

The Icelandic prime minister, along with his minister of finance and minister of interior, were among the hundreds of politicians around the world implicated in the leaked documents, which show how a wealthy elite can exploit the secrecy of offshore tax havens to evade taxes at home.

A video posted by Auður Albertsdóttir (@ausausa) on Apr 4, 2016 at 10:28am PDT

It’s still unclear whether the Icelandic politicians have broken any laws in their home country. However, to the opposition as well as the protesters outside of Parliament, that’s not the main point. Trust in politicians reached record-low levels in Iceland after the financial crash of 2008, when many in the small island nation lost their homes and jobs.

In February, before this scandal broke, only 17% of the people said they trusted the politicians in Parliament. That trust may now plummet even further.

Even before the revelations of the Panama Papers, Iceland's parliament had only a 17% approval rating. Image: Vilhelm Stokstad/Kontinent

"Even if they haven’t broken the law this is morally very questionable," said opposition leader Katrín Jakobsdóttir. "They have not been honest, and the people should be able to trust that politicians are transparent with their financial interests.”

Should the prime minister reconsider and call for new elections, the Pirate Party could become the biggest party in Parliament, currently polling at over 37 percent.

As the most popular opposition party, the Pirates' platform includes more liberal drug laws and 35-hour work weeks.

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