Large protests across Denmark and Greenland saw demonstrators chanting slogans such as “Make America Go Away” while rallying against U.S. actions and statements, affirming Greenlandic sovereignty.
COPENHAGEN, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) — Vast protests against U.S. actions and remarks suggesting control over Greenland were held on Saturday in multiple cities across Denmark and Greenland.
In Copenhagen, Denmark’s capital, a large crowd gathered at City Hall Square in central Copenhagen around 12 p.m. local time before marching toward the U.S. Embassy, about 2 km away. Protesters included people from both Denmark and Greenland, many of whom carried Danish and Greenlandic flags as they marched through the city.
In Nuuk, Greenland’s capital, people began gathering from early afternoon, chanting “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders.” The protest drew broad participation, including Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who waved a Greenlandic flag as demonstrators chanted slogans and traditional Inuit songs under light rain. Many participants wore caps bearing the words “Make America Go Away.”
Similar protests were held or planned in the Danish cities of Aarhus, Odense and Aalborg, as well as in the Greenlandic cities of Aasiaat, Qaqortoq and Ilulissat, according to Danish media.
Later in the afternoon, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will impose 10-percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland starting on Feb. 1.
Those tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1, and would continue until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, Trump said on social media.
Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. The United States maintains a military base on the island.
Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his interest in Greenland, from “buying” the island during his first presidential term, to the current employment of “a range of options” including “utilizing the U.S. military” to seize the autonomous island.
A “fundamental disagreement” persists over the future of Greenland following a meeting of high-ranking officials from the United States, Denmark and Greenland on Wednesday.
Following a meeting on Wednesday in Washington with U.S. Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen and Greenlandic Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt said “fundamental disagreement” over the future of Greenland remained.■
