Protesters occupied the streets of Copenhagen and Greenland against the US president’s intention to seize the island
@arctic_today / x
Thousands of people took to the streets of Denmark and this Saturday (17), to protest against the aspirations of the President of the United States, which maintains its intention to appropriate Greenland.
Under a cloudy sky, protesters formed a red and white tide, the colors of the Greenlandic flag, in the town hall square of Copenhagen, the Danish capital, AFP journalists found.
They displayed posters with slogans such as “The they already have enough ice” or “Make America Go Away”, paraphrasing Trump’s slogan, “Make America Great Again”.
In Nuuk, capital of Greenland, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen joined the protest with a flag from this autonomous territory of Denmark.
“We don’t want Trump to invade Greenland,” said Faarnig Larsen Strum, a 44-year-old nurse.
There were also protests in other Danish cities.
“For me it is important to be here, because this is about the right of the Greenlandic people to decide their own future. We cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated by a state, not even by an ally. It is a matter of international law,” Kirsten Hjoernholm, 52, an employee of the NGO Action Aid Denmark, who attended the demonstration in Copenhagen, told AFP.
The organizers of the rally – Uagut, the civil movement ‘Hands off Greenland!’ and the Inuit collective, which brings together several local Greenlandic associations – want to take advantage of the presence of a delegation from the American Congress in Copenhagen to make their voices heard.
Since returning to power a year ago, Trump has reiterated on several occasions his ambition to take control of Greenland, a strategic and sparsely populated autonomous Danish territory. He said he would achieve this “one way or another” to stop the advance of Russia and China in the Arctic.
One of his advisers, Stephen Miller, on Friday reaffirmed the United States’ interest in Greenland.
“Greenland is as big as a quarter of the United States. Denmark, no disrespect, is a small country, with a small economy and a small army. It cannot defend Greenland,” he told Fox News.
On Wednesday, Danish authorities participated in a meeting in Washington in which they concluded that, for now, it is not possible to reach an agreement with American leaders.
However, several European leaders expressed their support for Denmark, a founding member of NATO, and a European military mission was sent to Greenland for exploration duties.
On Friday, Trump warned that he would impose tariffs on countries that did not support his plans for the island.
“Under pressure”
“Recent events have put Greenland and Greenlanders under pressure, both on the island and in Denmark,” said Julie Rademacher, president of the Uagut movement, in a statement sent to AFP.
“When tensions rise and people are on alert, we run the risk of generating more problems than solutions,” he warned.
According to a January 2025 survey, 85% of Greenlanders rejected the idea of being part of the United States.
This Saturday, during the last day of their visit to Copenhagen, the bipartisan delegation from the American Congress expressed their support for Denmark and Greenland.
Democratic senator Chris Coons, who leads the delegation, highlighted to the press the “225 years” of alliance with Denmark. He also stated that “there are no immediate threats” that would put Greenland at risk.
“But we share real concerns about security in the Arctic in the future,” he added, highlighting the need to “explore ways to better invest in Arctic security.”
*With AFP
