Greenlanders protest Trump’s attempt to gain power as the US opens a new consulate in Nuuk
In Nuuk, hundreds of Greenlanders are protesting against Trump’s attempts to influence people and demanding respect for their national rights.
It was a big protest in Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, on Friday against Donald Trump’s plans as US president to increase control over the Arctic island. The protest happened at the same time that the US opened a new consulate in the region.
The protest happened while Trump’s special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, was there. There were also ongoing diplomatic problems because Washington has been calling for more control over the partially independent Danish territory.
People marched through Nuuk shouting “Greenland is for Greenlanders.” Upon reaching the new US consulate, they halted and turned their backs to it.
The person in charge of the protest, Aqqalukkuluk Fontain, said, “Our government already told Donald Trump and his administration that Greenland is not for sale.”
“Our message is to the people of the United States and the rest of the world…” That in a democracy, “no” really means “no,” he added.
Some protesters expressed increased concern about the US’s plans for Greenland due to Landry’s uninvited visit.
“It’s so important to show that this behavior is not okay,” protester Inge Bisgaard told the BBC. She also said that many people in Greenland were still afraid of more pressure from Washington after Trump brought up calls for the US to “own” the island earlier this year.
Some people in Nuuk have called the new 3,000-square-meter consulate “Trump Towers.” This marked a significant advancement in the American foreign presence in Nuuk.
Ken Howery, the US ambassador to Denmark, said at the opening that Washington wanted to strengthen ties with Greenland.
“It’s clear that the Arctic is an area of global importance,” Howery said. “We will always be your neighbors, and regardless of what the future holds, you can rely on us to be your friends and partners.”
Greenlandic government leaders, on the other hand, were mostly missing from the event. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said he wouldn’t be there, and Greenlandic MP Naaja Nathanielsen said she also wouldn’t go “to send signals” because she was worried about sovereignty.
Landry allegedly met with Greenlandic government officials and business leaders during his trip to try to improve relations and get the US and Greenlandic governments to work together more.
Landry told the local newspaper Sermitsiaq that Greenland might be able to improve its economy by becoming its own country.
He said, “I think Greenland’s economy could be as good or better if it were its own country.”
But when asked if Washington would listen to Greenland’s worries about its sovereignty, Landry said, “There is only one line for us.” “It’s blue, white, and red.”
Trump has said many times that Greenland is strategically important for US national security, especially in the Arctic, where competition between Russia and China has grown.
US and Greenlandic officials are currently talking about Washington’s request for a bigger US military presence on the island, but they haven’t come to a deal yet.
