Thousands of Greenlanders marched through snow- and ice-covered streets on Saturday in what is being described as the largest coordinated protests the Arctic island has seen. The mass rally was aimed at rejecting renewed pressure from US President Donald Trump to take control of the territory and voicing support for Greenland’s self-rule.In Nuuk, the capital, demonstrators waved their national flag, carried hand-painted signs reading “Greenland is not for sale” and chanted in Greenlandic as they walked from the city center to the US Consulate, which was sealed off by police. According to police and organizers, the march drew nearly a quarter of Nuuk’s population, making it unprecedented for a city of fewer than 20,000 people. Similar protests and solidarity rallies were held in other Greenlandic towns, as well as in Copenhagen and other Danish cities, news agency AP reported.Greenland prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen joined the march in Nuuk, at one point climbing onto a snowbank to raise a flag as the crowd cheered. “We said it last year, and we will keep saying it: We are not for sale,” Isak Berthelsen, a 43-year-old electrician was quoted by the New York Times as saying, adding that repeating the message was “energizing” because it showed Greenlanders had “our own voice.”Many protesters said they had reached a breaking point after repeated statements by Trump suggesting the United States would take Greenland “one way or the other.” “Every new statement makes it worse,” said Kristian Johansen, a retired carpenter who helped organize the demonstration. “I hope it can show him that we stand together in Europe,’ Nuuk police officer Tom Olsen was quoted by AP as saying. ‘We are not going down without a fight.“
Trump announces tariffs
As the protest in Nuuk concluded, news broke that Trump had announced a 10% import tax, starting in February, on goods from Denmark and several other European countries that oppose US control of Greenland. “I thought this day couldn’t get any worse but it just did,” said Malik Dollerup-Scheibel, a 21-year-old protester, after learning of the announcement, news agency AP reported.Despite concerns about the economic impact of tariffs, several demonstrators said Greenland’s autonomy mattered more. “This is a fight for freedom,” said former Greenland lawmaker Tillie Martinussen.
Why Trump wants Greenland
US President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that the United States needs to acquire Greenland for national security reasons, citing growing global competition in the Arctic. The White House reiterated this position last week, even as protests spread across Greenland and Denmark.“The President has made his priority quite clear. He wants the United States to acquire Greenland. He thinks it is in our best national security to do that,” White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt said during a media briefing. She added that the deployment of European Nato troops to Greenland would not affect Trump’s plans, saying it did not “impact his goal of the acquisition of Greenland at all.”Trump has warned that if the United States does not take control of Greenland, rival powers would. He has said that “China or Russia will” otherwise gain influence over the strategically located Arctic island, comments that have heightened tensions within Nato and alarmed many Greenlanders.
Rising international tensions
The renewed push has come alongside increased military activity in the Arctic. European Nato countries, including France, Germany, Sweden and Norway, have announced troop deployments to Greenland as part of Danish-led security exercises. Germany’s defense ministry said the mission was intended to examine ways to ensure Arctic security in response to what it described as “Russian and Chinese threats,” while France confirmed its first personnel were already en route, news agency AFP reported.The protests followed a week of heightened diplomatic and military activity. France, Germany, Sweden and Norway have announced the deployment of military personnel to Greenland as part of Danish-led exercises, a move Danish officials say is aimed at strengthening Arctic security. Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, said a working group would be set up on security issues but stressed that “the American ambition to take over Greenland remains intact,” calling the situation “a serious matter.”Greenland’s deputy prime minister, Mute Egede, said Nato forces would have a greater presence in coming days, while Russia has criticized the deployments. For many protesters, however, the message remained simple. “We are not American, and we will never be American,” said Maria Meier Brun at a rally in Copenhagen.
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