Donald Trump’s fascination with the idea of bringing Greenland under U.S. control is well known—but the island’s leaders aren’t entertaining the notion.
Greenland’s Prime Minister, Mute Egede, has grown tired of the speculation and recently responded to Trump with a blunt, three-word rebuke.
Greenland’s Largest-Ever Protest
Over the weekend, massive demonstrations erupted across Greenland following Trump’s remarks about the U.S. potentially acquiring the island.
Thousands of people gathered in the capital, Nuuk, marking what is being called the biggest protest in Greenland’s history.
Given Nuuk’s population of just 19,000 and Greenland’s total population of 57,000, a demonstration of this scale represents a significant portion of the country’s citizens.
“I’m overwhelmed by the tremendous turnout for the demonstration. I’ve never seen so many people at a protest before,” said Orla Joelsen, the event’s organizer, in an interview with local newspaper Sermitsiaq.
“Enough is enough!” was the rallying cry, as citizens voiced their anger while chanting, “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.”
The demonstrations soon reached Sisimiut, the country’s second-largest city, where protesters held up banners with bold messages such as “Yankee go home” and “We’re not for sale.”
”He hasn’t shown good behavior”
The protest march saw strong criticism directed at Donald Trump.
“He hasn’t shown good behavior. He only uses his media. After his visit, Donald Trump Jr. also said that Greenlanders love the U.S. We want to show that not all of us love the U.S. I hope that as a people, we can show our identity and unity without political affiliation,” one protester stated.
Greenland’s acting Prime Minister, Múte B. Egede, who led the initiative to unite party leaders, delivered a collective statement to Trump on behalf of Greenland. Addressing Trump’s past remarks, Egede firmly responded:
“Greenland is ours. We are not for sale and will never be for sale. We must not lose our long struggle for freedom.”
Egede also took part in the weekend’s demonstrations, emphasizing the importance of solidarity.
“It gives us strength, and it’s moving to see so many people showing unity in the country. It is completely unacceptable for the leader of another country to try to pressure our land. Unity is our strength,” he declared.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the liberal party Demokraatit—which unexpectedly emerged as the largest party in last week’s parliamentary elections—also took part in the demonstration, standing side by side with Múte B. Egede.
“It’s very moving, and I feel proud. As Múte said, witnessing this gives us tremendous strength. We may have many different opinions on many different issues, but on this one, we are all united and standing together,” Nielsen stated.
This situation has undoubtedly fueled intense discussion, and it’s clear that the people of Greenland are standing firm in their stance.
With so many voices speaking out in defense of their sovereignty, it’ll be fascinating to see how things unfold. What do you think—could tensions rise even further?