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Thousands march in Greenland to support Arctic island in the face of Trump's threats to take it over

Published: 18 Jan. 2026, 12:44

People protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland on Jan. 17. [AP/YONHAP]

Thousands of Greenlanders carefully marched across snow and ice to take a stand against U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday. They held signs of protest, waved their national flag and chanted “Greenland is not for sale” in support of their own self-governance in the face of increasing threats of an American takeover.

Just as they finished their trek from the small downtown of Greenland's capital city, Nuuk, to the U.S. Consulate, the news broke: Trump, from his home in Florida, announced he would charge a 10 percent import tax starting in February on goods from eight European countries over their opposition to U.S. control of Greenland.

“I thought this day couldn't get any worse, but it just did,” Malik Dollerup-Scheibel said after The Associated Press told him about Trump's announcement. “It just shows he has no remorse for any kind of human being now.”

Trump has long said he believes the United States should own the strategically located, mineral-rich island, which is a self-governing territory of Greenland. Trump intensified his calls a day after the military operation to oust former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro earlier this month.

Dollerup-Scheibel, a 21-year-old Greenlander, and Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen were among what others described as the island's biggest protest, drawing nearly a quarter of Nuuk's population. Others held rallies and solidarity marches across the Danish realm, including in Copenhagen and in the capital of the Inuit-governed territory of Nunavut in Canada's far north.

“This is important for the whole world,” Danish protester Elise Riechie said as she held Danish and Greenlandic flags in Copenhagen. “There are many small countries. None of them are for sale.”

A cafe worker applauds in support of a protest march against U.S. President Donald Trump's policy towards Greenland in Nuuk on Jan. 17. [AP/YONHAP]

In Nuuk, Greenlanders of all ages listened to traditional songs as they walked to the consulate. Marie Pedersen, a 47-year-old Greenlander, said it was important to bring her children to the rally "to show them that they’re allowed to speak up.”

“We want to keep our own country and our own culture, and our family safe," she said.

Her 9-year-old daughter, Alaska, crafted her own “Greenland is not for sale” sign. The girl said her teachers have addressed the controversy and taught them about NATO at school.

“They tell us how to stand up if you’re being bullied by another country or something,” she said.

Meanwhile, Tom Olsen, a police officer in Nuuk, said Saturday's protest was the biggest he's ever seen there.

“I hope it can show him that we stand together in Europe,” he said. "We are not going down without a fight.”

Tillie Martinussen, a former member of Greenland's parliament, said she hopes the Trump administration will “abandon this crazy idea.”

“They started out as sort of touting themselves as our friends and allies, that they wanted to make Greenland better for us than the Danes would," she said as others chanted in the background. "And now they're just plain out threatening us.”

A boy holds a crossed out map of Greenland topped by a hairpiece symbolizing U.S. President Donald Trump, during a protest against Trump's policy towards Greenland in front of the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland on Jan. 17. [AP/YONHAP]

She added that the push to preserve NATO and Greenland’s autonomy were more important than facing tariffs, though she added that she was not dismissing the potential economic impact.

“This is a fight for freedom,” she said. “It’s for NATO, it’s for everything the Western Hemisphere has been fighting for since World War II.”

But when the AP asked Louise Lennert Olsen what she would say to Trump, the 40-year-old Greenlandic nurse instead said she wanted to give a message to the American people.

“I would really like them to support our wish to be Greenland as we are now,” she said as she marched through Nuuk. “I hope they will stand against their own president. Because I can’t believe they just stand and watch and do nothing."

AP