The march of Greenlanders, which culminated outside the US consulate, underscored widespread fears that Greenland’s self-governance and cultural identity are under threat amid growing geopolitical competition in the Arctic.
BY PC Bureau
January 18, 2026: Thousands of Greenlanders took to the streets of Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, on Saturday to protest renewed overtures from United States President Donald Trump suggesting the U.S. should assert control over the Arctic island. The demonstration—described by organisers as one of the largest in the island’s history—also echoed across Denmark and in solidarity protests abroad, reflecting deep concerns about sovereignty and self-determination.
Carrying placards reading “Greenland is not for sale” and waving the red-and-white Greenlandic flag, demonstrators marched from downtown Nuuk to the U.S. consulate. Many were joined by Greenland’s own Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who stood with citizens calling for respect for the territory’s autonomy.
The protest coincided with news from the United States that President Trump had announced a 10 percent import tariff on goods from eight European nations—Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and Finland—starting in February. The tariffs were framed by Trump as a response to European opposition to U.S. control or influence over Greenland; he said the rate would rise to 25 percent by June 1 unless a deal was struck over the island’s future.
Mass Protests Erupt in Nuuk as Greenlanders Defiantly Reject Trump’s Threats and Tariffs to Force Purchase of the Territory
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For Greenlanders, the issue is not merely economic but existential. The island is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with control over internal affairs, and its people have repeatedly rejected any suggestion they should be sold or subsumed into another nation. Protesters asserted their desire to safeguard cultural heritage, democratic rights, and autonomy in the Arctic region.
Solidarity marches also took place in Copenhagen, where an estimated crowd comparable in size to Nuuk’s entire population gathered to demand that Greenland’s future be decided only by its people and Denmark. Many chanted slogans such as “Hands off Greenland” and “No means No.”
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The demonstrations come amid heightened geopolitical tension over the strategic Arctic territory, prized for its location and mineral wealth and increasingly considered a focal point of international competition among the U.S., Russia, and China. Greenland and Danish officials have affirmed that the island’s defense should remain under NATO’s collective framework, not unilateral control.
Trump’s proposal has drawn criticism from European leaders and NATO partners, who warn that it risks destabilising alliances and undermining established norms of sovereignty and mutual respect among allied nations.
As chants of **“Kalaallit Nunaat”—Greenland’s name in the native language—filled the frozen streets, protesters insisted that their homeland’s fate must rest with its residents, not with foreign powers seeking strategic advantage.
