Hundreds of Greenlanders gathered in front of the new U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland's capital, to protest President Donald Trump's policy to expand U.S. influence over the self-governing territory under the Kingdom of Denmark.
A large protest erupted in Nuuk as hundreds marched through the city center, chanting the slogan "Greenland belongs to Greenlanders," before standing silently with their backs turned to the new U.S. consulate building, signaling their opposition to the U.S. government.
Akkalukkuluk Fontain, 37, the protest leader, said, "Our government has already told Donald Trump and his team that Greenland is not for sale. Our message is to Americans and the world: in a democratic world, no means no."
This protest occurred during the week the new U.S. consulate opened, which moved from a small wooden building to a high-rise downtown with over 3,000 square meters of space, leading locals to sarcastically nickname it "Trump Tower."
Although Kenneth Hovey, the U.S. ambassador to Denmark, officiated at the opening and praised the strong relationship, the massive project faced complete political isolation locally. Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, along with ministers and MPs, all declined to attend, signaling their displeasure at this perceived sovereignty threat.
Jeff Landry, a close ally of Trump and governor of Louisiana acting as a special envoy, arrived in Greenland "without an official invitation." He tried to meet political leaders and businesspeople to build relations but caused discomfort, with some business leaders refusing to meet him.
Moreover, Landry told the local newspaper Sermitsiaq, deliberately stirring the independence debate by saying, "I think Greenland could have as good or even a better economy if it were an independent country." When asked if Trump would respect Greenland's sovereignty boundaries, Landry gave an ambiguous reply: "For us, there is only one line — the red, white, and blue line," referring to the U.S. flag colors.
The White House spokesperson stated that the U.S. remains optimistic about progress serving U.S. national security interests in Greenland and praised Landry for performing excellently.
Donald Trump has repeatedly emphasized Greenland's strategic importance to U.S. security, especially from the Cold War era when the U.S. had 17 bases there. Today, only one remains: the Pituffik Space Base, which the U.S. is negotiating to expand and seeking additional base locations.
However, a New York Times report highlights deep concerns among Greenlanders, noting that the U.S. wants to station its military indefinitely and obtain veto power over any major Greenlandic investments to block China and Russia from expanding influence in the Arctic region. This issue is expected to be raised at the upcoming NATO summit in Sweden.
. BBC