‘Hands off Greenland’ protests: Large crowds expected to hold demonstrations against Trump’s plans
Thousands of people stated on social media that they planned to attend marches and rallies organized by Greenlandic associations in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and Greenland’s capital Nuuk.
“The aim is to send a clear and unified message about respect for Greenland’s democracy and basic human rights,” Uagut, the association of Greenlanders in Denmark, said on its website. he said.
The protests follow Trump’s warning on Friday that he could “impose tariffs” on countries that oppose his plans to take over Denmark’s autonomous region of Greenland.
The demonstration in Nuuk was planned to start at 16:00 (1500 GMT) in protest “against illegal US plans to take control of Greenland”, organizers said. Demonstrators marched to the US consulate carrying Greenlandic flags.
The Copenhagen rally was supposed to start at 12:00 pm (11:00 GMT) and stop in front of the US embassy in the Danish capital about an hour later.
“Recent events have put Greenlanders and Greenlanders under pressure, both in Greenland and Denmark,” Uagut president Julie Rademacher said in a statement sent to AFP. he said and called for “unity”. “When tensions rise and people become alarmed, we run the risk of creating more problems than solutions for ourselves and each other. We call on Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark to stand together,” he said.
‘Demand respect’
Uagut, along with the “Hands Off Greenland” citizens’ movement and Inuit, an umbrella group of Greenlandic associations, were organizing the demonstrations to coincide with a visit to Copenhagen by a bipartisan delegation of U.S. lawmakers.
On the event’s Facebook page, at least 900 people in Greenland said they planned to hold the event in the region, which has a total population of about 57,000.
“With this demonstration we want to show that we take action, we stand together and we support our politicians, diplomats and partners,” one of the organisers, Kristian Johansen, said in a statement. he said.
“We demand respect for our country’s right to self-determination and for us as a people,” added Avijaja Rosing-Olsen, another organizer.
“We demand respect for international law and the principles of international law. This is not just our struggle, it is a struggle that concerns the whole world.”
According to the latest poll published in January 2025, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the United States. Only six percent expressed a positive opinion.
