Greenland hosts largest protests in island history over Trump’s statements about possible annexation
Mass demonstrations took place in Greenland against US President Donald Trump’s statements regarding the possible establishment of control over the island. According to the data Today’s News, about a thousand people protested in the capital of Greenland — Nuuk, which became the largest demonstration in the history of the island. Protest actions also took place in the second largest city, Sisimiuti.
The population of Greenland is about 57,000 people, of which 19,000 live in Nuuk, so this number of protest participants is considered significant. The demonstrators held banners with the English-language slogans “Yankee go home” (“Yankee go home”) and “We are not for sale”. The main slogan of the protest was: “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people.”
The leader of the liberal Demokraatit party, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, whose political force won last week’s parliamentary elections, said:
“We may have different views on many issues, but we are all united in this.”
At the same time, Trump supporters were spotted in Nuuk, some of whom appeared in caps with the inscription MAGA. Because of this, the organizers of the action called on the protesters to make posters in English to avoid manipulation and to ensure that the messages are understandable to an international audience.
The demonstrations were a response to Trump’s recent statements in which he expressed his intention to establish control over Greenland. He stated that the inhabitants of the island are allegedly interested in joining the United States. However, according to Nielsen, Trump is ignoring the real opinion of Greenlanders, and he hopes that the mass protests will show the true position of the population of the island.
Trump’s statements regarding Greenland caused a wide response. At the end of 2024, he declared that control of the island was an “absolute necessity” for the United States — for reasons of national security and global freedom. In response to these words, Prime Minister of Greenland Mute Egede emphasized that the island is not for sale.
Egede, known for his support for Greenland’s independence from Denmark, recently accused Denmark of genocide over a scandal involving forced sterilization of women in the 1960s and 70s. In his New Year’s address, he called for independence and freedom from “the shackles of the colonial era.”
On January 7, 2025, at a press conference, Trump did not deny the possibility of using military or economic means to establish control over Greenland or the Panama Canal. On the Truth Social social network, he emphasized that the agreement on Greenland’s accession to the United States should take place, and called to make this largest island in the world “great again.”
We remind you that Greenland is the largest island on the planet and an autonomous territory of Denmark. It has significant reserves of minerals, oil, as well as strategically important facilities, including American military bases. The protests of the island’s population showed their determination to defend their autonomy and right to self-determination.
