Copenhagen/Nuuk – Large crowds gathered in Denmark and Greenland to demonstrate against President Donald Trump’s renewed push to acquire the Arctic island, with protesters demanding that Greenland be left to determine its own future.
In Copenhagen, demonstrators marched toward the U.S. embassy chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and carrying signs reading “No means No” and “Hands off Greenland.” Many waved the red-and-white Greenlandic flag, while some wore red baseball caps parodying Trump’s “Make America Great Again” style, but emblazoned with “Make America Go Away.”
In Greenland’s capital, Nuuk, thousands—led by Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen—marched to the U.S. consulate holding similar banners and chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat,” the island’s name in Greenlandic.
Naja Holm, a civil servant who attended the Nuuk rally, told Reuters: “I’ve come here today because I think it’s important to show that Greenland is not for sale. It is not a toy. This is our home.”
Organizers estimated over 20,000 people participated in Copenhagen—roughly the population of Nuuk itself—though police did not provide an official count. Additional protests took place across Denmark. Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut (an organization for Greenlanders in Denmark), expressed gratitude for the support: “I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive … we are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up.”
These demonstrations followed Trump’s Truth Social post earlier on January 17, in which he announced plans to impose escalating tariffs—starting at 10% on February 1, 2026, and rising to 25% on June 1—on goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, and Great Britain until a deal is reached for the U.S. to purchase Greenland outright.
Trump has described the island as vital for U.S. national security due to its strategic location and vast mineral deposits, while not ruling out the use of force. He has argued that Denmark cannot adequately protect the territory from interests by China and Russia.
The protests highlight deep opposition in both Greenland (population 57,000) and Denmark. Greenland has significant autonomy since 1979 but remains under Danish control for defense and foreign policy. All parties in Greenland’s parliament favor eventual independence, though they prefer staying with Denmark over joining the United States.
A recent Reuters/Ipsos poll showed that only 17% of Americans support Trump’s efforts to acquire Greenland, with large majorities of both Democrats and Republicans opposing military force to annex it. Trump dismissed the poll as “fake.”
The demonstrations come amid a broader diplomatic rift between the U.S. and its NATO allies. European leaders, including British Prime Minister Keir Starmer (“Applying tariffs on allies … is completely wrong”), European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, and European Council President Antonio Costa, have expressed full solidarity with Denmark and warned that such actions risk a “dangerous downward spiral” in transatlantic relations.
This week’s events also included European nations sending small numbers of military personnel to Greenland at Denmark’s request as a show of support.
