Thousands of Greenlanders marched through snow and ice in Nuuk on Saturday, chanting 'Greenland is not for sale' in protest against US takeover threats. The island's prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, joined the demonstration, which was described as the largest ever seen in the capital, drawing nearly a quarter of Nuuk's population.
The protest coincided with an announcement by Donald Trump that he would impose a 10% tariff on eight European countries from February over their opposition to US control of Greenland. 'I thought this day couldn't get any worse, but it just did,' said Malik Dollerup-Scheibel, a 21-year-old Greenlander, upon hearing the news. 'It just shows he has no remorse for any kind of human being now.'
Solidarity marches were held across the Danish realm, including in Copenhagen, and in Iqaluit, the capital of Canada's Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut. 'This is important for the whole world,' said Danish protester Elise Riechie, holding Danish and Greenlandic flags. 'There are many small countries. None of them are for sale.'
Families attended the rally, with Marie Pedersen, a 47-year-old Greenlander, saying it was important to bring her children 'to show them that they're allowed to speak up'. Her nine-year-old daughter, Alaska, made her own sign reading 'Greenland is not for sale' and explained that teachers had addressed the controversy and taught them about Nato. 'They tell us how to stand up if you're being bullied by another country or something,' she said.
Tom Olsen, a police officer in Nuuk, said it was the biggest protest he had ever seen. 'I hope it can show him that we stand together in Europe,' he said. 'We are not going down without a fight.' Former Greenlandic MP Tillie Martinussen urged the Trump administration to 'abandon this crazy idea', adding: 'This is a fight for freedom. It's for Nato, it's for everything the western hemisphere has been fighting for since world war two.'
Louise Lennert Olsen, a 40-year-old Greenlandic nurse, directed her message to the American people: 'I would really like them to support our wish to be Greenland as we are now. I hope they will stand against their own president. Because I can't believe they just stand and watch and do nothing.'
