Protesters in Denmark and Greenland adopted parody red hats mimicking U.S. President Donald Trump’s “MAGA” slogan, rephrased as “Make America Go Away,” during rallies on Saturday against Trump’s threats to impose tariffs and acquire the Arctic island.
The hats, which also feature “Nu det NUUK” — a play on Greenland’s capital Nuuk and the Danish phrase for “Now it’s enough” — and the Greenland flag, have sold out in Denmark and were widely worn by demonstrators, according to a report in The Independent.
An estimated 10,000 people gathered at Copenhagen’s City Hall Square, chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and holding banners reading “Hands off Greenland,” the report said. In Nuuk, thousands braved sleet to rally for self-governance in what participants described as the island’s largest protest, drawing nearly a quarter of the city’s population.
In Greenland’s capital, the rally featured Prime Minister Múte B. Egede (referred to as Nielsen in some reports) at its center, with crowds shouting “Kalaallit Nunaat!” — meaning “This is the land of the people of Greenland” in the Inuit language —according to a post by user 城島未来 | TBSテレビ記者 Miko Jojima. The post also noted a protester wearing the “MAKE AMERICA GO AWAY” hat amid the falling sleet.
グリーンランドにて、トランプ大統領への抗議デモ。中央はニールセン首相です。みぞれが降る中、沢山の人が集まり「Kalaallit Nunaat（グリーンランドの人々の土地だ）！」と声を上げていました。"MAKE AMERICA GO AWAY（アメリカは出て行け）"と書かれた新MAGA帽を被った人も。 pic.twitter.com/WKPStmVZxn
— 城島未来 | TBSテレビ記者 Miko Jojima (@mikojoburg) January 18, 2026
(Translation) “In Greenland, a protest demonstration against President Trump. At the center is Prime Minister Nielsen. Amid falling sleet, a large number of people gathered and raised their voices shouting “Kalaallit Nunaat (This is the land of the people of Greenland)!” There was also someone wearing a new MAGA hat with the words “MAKE AMERICA GO AWAY” written on it.”
The protests followed Trump’s January 17 announcement of escalating tariffs — starting at 10% from February 1 and rising to 25% from June 1 — on goods from eight European countries, including Denmark, until a deal is reached for U.S. control of Greenland. Trump has cited the island’s strategic location as vital for countering Russian and Chinese threats in the Arctic and has not ruled out military force.
“I thought this day couldn’t get any worse but it just did,” Greenland protester Malik Dollerup-Scheibel told the Associated Press, as quoted in The Independent, reacting to the tariff news during the rally.
The eight-country bloc is considering restricting U.S. companies from its markets in response, according to the Financial Times, as cited in The Independent. Rallies also occurred in other Danish regions and in Nunavut, Canada.
Only 17% of Americans approve of Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, with majorities opposing military force, according to a Reuters poll.
Greenland, home to about 57,000 people, is an autonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, which handles its defense and provides substantial funding. Approximately 17,000 Greenlanders live in Denmark, according to Danish authorities.
German independent news magazine DER SPIEGAL reported on this first.
