"Greenland is not for sale!": Thousands of Danes take to the streets against Trump's threat

Barcelona"Greenland is not for sale." With this and other slogans, thousands of protesters have filled the streets of Denmark in solidarity with Greenland in the face of US President Donald Trump's threat to annex the Arctic island, and in defense of Greenlanders' right to self-determination. The demonstrations are a response to Trump's sustained threats, which have prompted several European countries to send military personnel to the island this week at Denmark's request. Trump has not ruled out the use of force to seize Greenland, a territory he considers vital to US security due to its strategic location and mineral wealth. Waving banners with slogans such as "Hands off Greenland" and flags bearing Greenland's red and white colors—known as Erfalasorput—a crowd of protesters gathered in Copenhagen's City Hall Square for a march that has taken them to the United States. "I am very grateful for the enormous support we have received as Greenlanders... We are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up," Julie Rademacher, president of Uagut, an organization of Greenlanders in Denmark, told Reuters. "Greenland and Greenlanders have unwittingly become the front line in the fight for democracy and human rights," she added. "We demand respect for the Danish kingdom and for Greenland's right to self-determination," argued Camilla Siezing, president of Inuit, the Joint Association of Greenlandic Local Associations in Denmark, which organized the demonstration along with the Danish NGO ActionAid Denmark. Protests are also underway in other cities in Denmark, and more are expected throughout the day in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland.

Unprecedented diplomatic crisis

Trump's repeated statements about the island have triggered an unprecedented diplomatic crisis between the United States and Denmark, both founding members of the NATO military alliance, generating a wave of condemnation in Europe. The Greenlandic territory, with 57,000 inhabitants and governed for centuries from Copenhagen, has forged significant autonomy since 1979, but remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark, which controls its defense and foreign policy and finances much of its administration. The five political parties elected to Greenland's Parliament are mostly in favor of independence, but disagree on the timeline for this move. In fact, in recent days Greenlandic authorities have argued that they prefer to remain part of Denmark rather than join the United States. Only 17% of Americans approve of President Donald Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland, and a large majority of Democrats and Republicans oppose the use of military force to acquire the island, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.