Thousands of angry Greenlanders rallied to protest US President Donald Trump on Saturday, waving their national flag and chanting “Greenland is not for sale” in support of their own self-rule in the face of growing threats of a US takeover.
Just as more than one-third of the country’s population completed their march from the small center of Greenland’s capital Nuuk to the US consulate, Trump announced a 10% import tax on goods from eight European countries starting in February over their opposition to US control of Greenland.
Police Officer Tom Olsen told the Associated Press that Saturday’s protest was the largest he had ever seen there. “I hope it can show him that we stand together in Europe,” he said.
“We’re not going down without a fight.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen was among the largest protests on the island, attracting nearly a quarter of Nuuk’s population.
Greenlanders of all ages were on the streets of Nuuk listening to traditional songs as they walked to the consulate. The 47-year-old Greenland woman, who was accompanied by her children, said it was important to “show them that they are allowed to speak”.
“We want to keep our own country, our own culture and our family safe,” she said.
A 9-year-old daughter with a sign that read “Greenland is not for sale” told the AP that their teachers have addressed the controversy and taught them about NATO at school.
“They tell us how to stand up when you’re being bullied by another country or something,” the child said.
Trump has long said he thinks the US should own the strategically located and mineral-rich island that is the self-governing territory of Greenland. Trump stepped up his calls a day after a military operation to oust former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro earlier this month.
Solidarity rallies and marches were held across the Danish Empire, including Copenhagen, as well as in the capital of the Inuit territory of Nunavut in Canada’s far north.
“It’s important for the whole world,” said a Danish protester. “There are many small countries. None of them are for sale.”