Greenlanders march in protest of Trump's threats to take over the Arctic Island
text_fields
Photo: AP
Nuuk: Thousands of Greenlanders marched across snow and ice on Saturday to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump, voicing opposition to any attempt by Washington to take control of the island and reaffirming their commitment to self-governance. Demonstrators carried placards, waved Greenland’s national flag and raised slogans asserting that the territory was not for sale.
As the march from central Nuuk to the U.S. Consulate concluded, participants learned that Trump, speaking from Florida, had announced plans to impose a 10% import tax from February on goods from eight European countries, citing their resistance to U.S. control over Greenland.
Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States should own the strategically important, resource-rich island, a stance he intensified following a recent U.S. military operation that removed Venezuela’s former president Nicolás Maduro.
The protest, described by organisers as the largest in Greenland’s history, drew nearly a quarter of Nuuk’s population, including Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen and 21-year-old protester Dollerup-Scheibel. Solidarity rallies were also held across the Danish realm, including in Copenhagen, and in Nunavut, the Inuit-governed territory in northern Canada, AP reported.
In Copenhagen, Danish demonstrator Elise Riechie said the issue went beyond Greenland, stressing that small countries around the world should not be treated as commodities. In Nuuk, marchers of all ages listened to traditional songs en route to the consulate.
Marie Pedersen, a 47-year-old participant, said she brought her children to show them that speaking out was their right. She recalled that the United States had initially presented itself as a friendly ally promising benefits for Greenlanders, but said that stance had since shifted to open threats.
Pedersen added that safeguarding Greenland’s autonomy and the stability of NATO mattered more than the prospect of trade tariffs, though she acknowledged that the economic consequences could not be ignored.