Thousands of people took to the streets this Saturday in Denmark and Greenland to protest against the aspirations of the American president donald trumpwhich maintains its intention to appropriate the Arctic island.
Under a gray sky, The protesters formed a red and white tide in the town hall square of the Danish capital, AFP journalists confirmed.
They displayed banners with slogans such as “America has enough ice” or “Make America Go Away,” paraphrasing Trump’s slogan “Make America Great Again.”
In the capital of Greenland, Nuuk, Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsenjoined a protest raising the flag of that autonomous territory of Denmark.
“We don’t want Trump to invade Greenland,” said Paarniq Larsen Strum, 44, a surgical nurse.
There were also protests in other cities in the Scandinavian country.
“It is important for me to be here, because this is about the right of the Greenlandic people to decide your own future. We cannot allow ourselves to be intimidated by a State, not even by an ally. “It is a question of international law,” Kirsten Hjoernholm, 52, an employee of the NGO Action Aid Denmark, who attended the demonstration in Copenhagen, told AFP.
The organizers – Uagut, the citizen movement “Hands off Greenland!” and the Inuit collective, which brings together several local Greenlandic associations – seek to take advantage of the presence of a US congressional delegation in Copenhagen to make their voices heard.
Since returning to power a year ago, Trump has repeatedly reiterated his ambition to take control of Greenland, a strategic Danish autonomous territory and sparsely populated. He has said that he would achieve it “one way or another”, according to him to stop the Russian and Chinese advance in the Arctic.
One of his advisors, Stephen Miller, reaffirmed the United States’ interest in Greenland on Friday.
“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 declared on Fox News.
A meeting was held in Washington on Wednesday, where Danish officials concluded that an agreement with American leaders is not possible for now.
Meanwhile, several European leaders expressed their support for Denmarka founding member of NATO, and a European military mission was sent to Greenland for exploration tasks.
On Friday, Trump warned that he would impose tariffs on countries that do not support his Greenland plans.
“Under pressure”
“Recent events have put Greenland and Greenlanders, both on the island and in Denmark, under pressure,” he said. Julie Rademacher, president of the Uagut movementin a statement sent to AFP.
“When tensions rise and people are on alert, we run the risk of creating more problems than solutions,” he warned.
According to a January 2025 survey, 85% of Greenlanders reject the idea of being part of the United States.
This Saturday, during its final day of visiting Copenhagen, the bipartisan US Congressional delegation expressed his support for Denmark and Greenland.
Democratic Senator Chris Coons, who heads the delegation, highlighted before the press the “225 years” of alliance with Denmark. He also stated that “there are no immediate threats” that put Greenland at risk.
“But we do share real concerns about future Arctic security,” he added, underscoring the need to “explore ways to better invest in Arctic security.”
