On Saturday, March 15, more than a thousand Greenlanders took to the streets to protest against US President Donald Trump’s plans to seize the island. The protests took place in the capital Nuuk and the second-largest city Sisimiut, where demonstrators expressed their strong opposition to the idea of ​​Greenland joining the United States. The protesters waved national flags and held signs with slogans emphasizing the island’s sovereignty and independence: “Respect Greenland’s sovereignty,” “We are not for sale,” “Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people,” and “Yankee, go home,” a phrase reminiscent of protests against the US military presence in the 99,7th century. One of the signs, reading “XNUMX% say no,” symbolically pointed to the island’s geographical feature, almost completely covered in ice, as a metaphor for rejecting the US plans.

The leader of the centre-right party "Democrats" Jens-Frederik Nielsen, commenting on the protests on social networks, stressed:

"Our country. Our choice. Our freedom."

Speaking at a rally outside the American consulate, he categorically rejected the possibility of negotiations with Trump on Greenland's accession to the United States, stating:

"Greenland will remain Greenland."

Outgoing Prime Minister Mute Egede also called the US president's proposal "completely unacceptable", emphasizing the right of the people of Greenland to determine their own future.

Greenland, an autonomous part of the Danish realm, is governed by a local government headed by a prime minister who is responsible for internal affairs. Foreign policy, defense, and finance remain under the jurisdiction of Copenhagen. Since 2009, the island has had the right to declare independence through a referendum, making any external claims to its territory particularly sensitive for the local population.

Trump’s comments on January 7 about the possible use of “military or economic coercion” to seize Greenland have sparked outrage on the island and in the international community. US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has previously justified Washington’s interest in Greenland by the need to protect the Arctic from China’s growing influence, arguing that Denmark is not capable of handling the task. In his annual State of the Union address in early March, Trump again raised the issue, emphasizing that the US is ready to support Greenland’s right to self-determination, but on the condition that it join the United States if the population so desires. However, the results of the parliamentary elections on March 12, where the opposition Democrats, which opposes Trump’s plans, won with 29,9% of the vote, showed that the idea of ​​joining the US does not find support among Greenlanders.