PROTESTS IN GREENLAND AND DENMARK AS TRUMP REPEATS TARIFFS THREAT – EUROPE LIVE
By Guardian-Vivian Ho - Sat 17 Jan 2026 13.03 GMT
Protest under way in Denmark. Demonstrators have begun gathering in front of City Hall in Copenhagen as part of a series of actions planned throughout Denmark and Greenland in protest of Donald Trump and his plans to take control of Greenland.
‘Hands off Greenland’ rallies have been organised in Copenhagen, Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and Nuuk. The plan in Copenhagen is march to the US embassy in the Danish capital. Other rallies are set to begin later Saturday in Greenland and in other parts of Denmark.
“We are demonstrating against American statements and ambitions to annex Greenland. We demand respect for the Danish Realm and for Greenland’s right to self-determination. Hopefully we can show that there are many of us who support Greenland ,” Camilla Siezing, the chairwoman of the Inuit Association, said in a statement.
Reuters estimated that thousands of protesters attended the “Hands Off Greenland” rallies around Denmark on Saturday, chanting “Greenland is not for sale” and waving Greenland’s red and white “Erfalasorput” flag.
“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,” said Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, an organization for Greenlanders in Denmark.
She added: “Greenland and the Greenlanders have involuntarily become the front in the fight for democracy and human rights.”
The bipartisan US congressional delegation in Copenhagen held a news conference Saturday to once again reassure Denmark and Greenland of their support, the Associated Press reports.
Delegation leader Chris Coons, a Democratic senator from Delaware, said that the US has respect for Denmark and Nato “for all we’ve done together”.
“I hope that the people of the Kingdom of Denmark do not abandon their faith in the American people,” Coons said.
The delegation’s comments contrasted with the sentiment coming from the White House, with Donald Trump on Friday threatening to impose tariffs on countries that do not support his plan to take over Greenland. Earlier this week, Trump said anything less than Greenland being in US hands would be “unacceptable.”
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