LAST UPDATE | 17 Jan

CROWDS OF PEOPLE have gathered in Denmark’s capital city to take part in planned protests against US President Donald Trump’s threats to take over Greenland. 

A demonstration is also set to be held in the Greenlandic capital of Nuuk later today.

Thousands of people indicated on social media that they plan to take part in marches and rallies organised by Greenlandic associations in both cities, as well as in Denmark’s Aarhus, Aalborg and Odense.

“The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland’s democracy and fundamental human rights,” Uagut, an association of Greenlanders in Denmark, said on its website.

The demonstrators outside Copenhagen City Hall. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

In Copenhagen, the protesters formed a sea of red and white outside the city hall, waving the flags of Denmark and Greenland and chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat!” – the vast Arctic island’s name in Greenlandic. The rally is also due to stop outside the US embassy.

The protests follow Trump’s warning that he “may put a tariff” on countries that oppose his plans to take over Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

The demonstration in Nuuk is scheduled to begin at 4pm (6pm Irish time), to protest “against the United States’ illegal plans to take control of Greenland”, organisers said. Demonstrators will march to the US consulate carrying Greenlandic flags.

“Recent events have put Greenland and Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark under pressure,” Uagut chairwoman Julie Rademacher said in a statement, calling for “unity”.

A woman attending the protest in Copenhagen this afternoon. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

“When tensions rise and people go into a state of alarm, we risk creating more problems than solutions for ourselves and for each other. We appeal to Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark to stand together.”

‘Demand respect’

The protests come after a bipartisan delegation of US Congress members visited Copenhagen on a two-day trip to give backing to Denmark and Greenland, saying the US president’s territorial ambitions were not shared by the American people.

Danish Foreign Minister Lars Loekke Rasmussen poses for a picture with an American delegation consisting of senators and members of the House of Representatives in Copenhagen. Alamy Stock Photo Alamy Stock Photo

Europeans have also been showing support for Greenland in a military reconnaissance mission that a Danish general said Washington was invited to.

Senior Trump adviser Stephen Miller told Fox News yesterday that “positive early talks” had taken place at a White House meeting between senior officials from the US, Denmark and Greenland this week.

But he reiterated that Trump had been “clear” that he wanted to control the island.

Related Reads

Trump threatens to impose tariffs on countries that don’t back his Greenland takeover plans

European troops in Greenland have no impact on Trump's plans 'at all' - White House

Denmark says White House talks failed to alter US plans to 'conquer' Greenland

“They want us to spend hundreds of billions of dollars defending a territory for them that is 25% bigger than Alaska at 100% American expense, but they say while we do this, it belongs 100% to Denmark,” Miller said.

Uagut, along with the citizens’ movement “Hands Off Greenland”, and Inuit, an umbrella group of Greenlandic associations, were staging the demonstrations to coincide with a visit to Copenhagen by a bipartisan delegation of US lawmakers.

On the event’s Facebook page, at least 900 people in Greenland said they planned to take part in the territory, which has a total population of about 57,000.

“With this demonstration, we want to show that we are taking action, that we stand together and that we support our politicians, diplomats and partners,” Kristian Johansen, one of the organisers, said in a statement.

“We demand respect for our country’s right to self-determination and for us as a people,” added Avijaja Rosing-Olsen, another organiser.

“We demand respect for international law and international legal principles. This is not only our struggle, it is a struggle that concerns the entire world.”

According to the latest poll published in January 2025, 85% of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the US, with only 6% in favour.

With reporting from © AFP 2026