Protesters gather in Greenland and Denmark to protest Trump’s threat of annexation
Protesters in Denmark and Greenland demonstrated against President Donald Trump’s demand that the Arctic island be given to the United States and demanded that it be allowed to choose its own destiny.
Trump has not ruled out using force to annex Greenland, claiming that its strategic location and abundant mineral resources make it essential to U.S. security. Denmark requested that European countries send military forces to the island this week.
MARCHING IN NUUK AND COPENHAGEN
In Copenhagen, protesters marched to the U.S. embassy while chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and waving the red-and-white flag of the territory while holding up placards like “No means No” and “Hands off Greenland.”
Some wore red baseball caps with the message “Make America Go Away” that resembled Trump supporters’ “Make America Great Again” caps.
Thousands of people, led by Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, waved flags and similar banners as they marched toward the U.S. embassy in Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, singing “Kalaallit Nunaat”—the name of the island in Greenlandic.
“I believe it’s crucial to demonstrate that Greenland is not for sale, which is why I came here today. It’s not a plaything. Civil servant Naja Holm declared, “This is our home.”
Nielsen spoke to the audience by the embassy, to thunderous applause.
Over 20,000 people, or the entire population of Nuuk, were thought to have attended the rally in Copenhagen, according to organizers. An official statistic was not provided by the police. Protests were place all around Denmark.
Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, a group for Greenlanders in Denmark, said, “I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive… we are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up.”
DIPLOMATIC RIFT IS TRIGGered by TRUMP
Trump’s repeated remarks about the island have been widely denounced in Europe and have sparked a diplomatic crisis between the United States and Denmark, two founding members of the NATO military alliance.
The 57,000-person region, which has been ruled from Copenhagen for centuries, has gained considerable autonomy since 1979, but it is still a part of Denmark, which is in charge of foreign and defense affairs and provides the majority of the funding.
Authorities in Denmark estimate about 17,000 Greenlanders reside there.
Although they vary on the timetable and have recently stated that they would prefer to stay in Denmark rather than join the United States, all parties in Greenland’s parliament ultimately support independence. According to a Reuters/Ipsos poll, 17% of Americans support Trump’s attempts to annex Greenland, while significant majority of Democrats and Republicans are against the use of military force. The poll was deemed “fake” by Trump.
