Thousands demonstrate in Denmark and Greenland to reject Trump’s ambitions to annex the island

Thousands of demonstrators gathered on Saturday in Copenhagen, Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, and other Danish regions, in rejection of US President Donald Trump’s announcement of his intention to control the autonomous island of Greenland.

A crowd of people demonstrated in the courtyard of Copenhagen City Hall, carrying the flags of Greenland and Denmark, and chanting “Kalaalit Nunaat!” It is the name of Greenland in the local language.

The demonstrators raised banners bearing the phrase, “Make America Go,” a variation on the slogan, “Make America Great Again,” in addition to the phrase, “The United States already has a lot of snow.”

Several Danish political officials, including the mayor of Copenhagen and a minister, marched with the demonstrators. In front of the American embassy, ​​a number of organizers took turns on a platform singing and chanting slogans, “Greenland is not for sale,” expressing their hope that representatives of the United States would see this large crowd, in light of the presence of a congressional delegation in Copenhagen.
Other demonstrations were held in cities such as Aarhus (central), Aalborg (north) and Odense (south).

In the center of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, thousands of demonstrators gathered, including Prime Minister Jens Fredrik Nielsen, to denounce Trump’s ambitions to seize the island.
Under light rain, demonstrators were waving the Greenland flag, wearing hats that said “Make America Go” and singing traditional Inuit songs.

Since his return to power a year ago, Trump has reiterated his intention to annex Greenland and stressed that he will control it “in one way or another” to confront what he described as Russian and Chinese expansion in the Arctic Circle.

On Friday evening, his close advisor Stephen Miller reiterated the American position on the strategic island.

He said on Fox News, “Greenland is a quarter of the size of the United States. Denmark, with all due respect, is a small country with a small economy and army, and it cannot defend Greenland.”

‘Security concerns’

In Copenhagen, a delegation including members of the Republican and Democratic parties in the US Congress expressed their support for Greenland, on the last day of their visit, during which they met with the Danish Prime Minister, the Prime Minister of Greenland, a number of company heads, in addition to representatives in the Danish Parliament.

Democratic Senator Chris Conner, who leads the delegation, praised the 225-year-old alliance with Denmark. He stressed that “there are no direct threats to Greenland.”

He added: “But we share real concerns about security in the Arctic in the future, with climate change, the retreat of the ice sheet, and the development of maritime navigation,” stressing the need to “study ways to improve investment in Arctic security.”

Saturday’s demonstrations came three days after a meeting in Washington between American, Danish and Greenlandic officials, which ended in disagreement, as Danish Foreign Minister Lars Lokke Rasmussen admitted that “it was not possible to change the American position.”

A large number of European leaders expressed their support for Denmark, a founding member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), while Trump threatened on Friday to impose customs duties on countries that do not support his plan to annex Greenland.

“Under a lot of pressure”

“Recent events have put Greenland and its residents, both in Greenland and Denmark, under great pressure,” Julie Radmacher, head of the non-governmental organization Awagut in Greenland, said in a statement.

She added: “When tensions rise and people are on high alert, we may create more problems than solutions, for ourselves and for others.”

According to the last poll, the results of which were published in January 2025, 85% of Greenlanders oppose joining the United States, while only 6% support it.

This week, France, Sweden, Germany, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, and the United Kingdom announced the deployment of military forces on a reconnaissance mission that falls within the context of the “Polar Resilience” exercises organized by Denmark.

At the same time, the United States was invited to participate in military exercises in Greenland, according to what the Danish commander of the Arctic Command said on Friday evening, explaining that these exercises are linked to Russia.