»Kalaallit Nunaat, Kalaallit pigaat«, the crowd chants again and again. Rhythmically. Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders.
Across Greenland, there were demonstrations on Saturday against the USA’s »illegal plans to take over« the country.
Thousands have gathered in a small square in central Nuuk. Mothers with strollers, fathers with small children on their shoulders, elderly with walkers, and everyone in between. Despite the weather. The rain pours down, making the snow on the street soft and slushy.
The media has reported that sales of the Greenlandic flag, Erfalasorput, have increased, and it is evident in the crowd. There are small paper flags, which become soggy in the rain, and large ones worn on the back like a cape.
On a large ice block stands Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen (Demokraatit) and Finance Minister Múte B. Egede (IA). From different parties, side by side, each holding a red and white flag towards the sky.
Occasionally, a drone flies over the demonstrators, prompting cheers and flag waving.
»We are here to show that this is our home. Our heritage«, says Karen Jessen, who works as a bank advisor.
»We are usually a quiet people, but now we have to speak up«, she says. Her flag is already dripping wet from the rain.
»The orange one seems completely unpredictable«
The demonstration in Nuuk was called with a plea for peaceful protest, with a clear demand for respect for Greenland’s democracy, the right to self-determination, and a unified message that the country cannot be bought or taken by force.
And that is precisely the message on many signs. ’Not for sale’, ’No means no’, they read. While a little boy with his hat pulled down over his forehead carries a large cardboard sign that simply says ’peace please’.
There is a seriousness to the demonstration, as it concerns the participants’ country. The country they are proud of and whose nature they feel connected to. They are demonstrating not only with hope but also with fear of losing.
Karen Jessen was also present last year when 2,000-3,000 citizens in Nuuk protested against Trump’s plans to take over the country. But the atmosphere was lighter back then, she feels. The threat has moved closer.
»The orange one seems unpredictable«, she says, referring to the American president.
She values the connection with Denmark. She would like more equality, and eventually, she hopes that Greenland will be an independent country. But not now, she stresses.
The demonstration follows some nerve-wracking days. Wednesday’s meeting in Washington between the foreign ministers of Greenland, Denmark, and the USA. The initial relief that the dialogue will continue in a high-level working group – and then Thursday’s announcement that the working group, according to the White House, will discuss an American takeover of Greenland. Then Friday’s announcement directly from Trump that he is considering imposing tariffs on countries that do not support his plans for Greenland. And Saturday before the demonstration, it was Trump’s deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller who called it an »unfair deal« that Greenland belongs to Denmark while the USA has to pay for its defense.
Every morning, citizens in Greenland’s capital have woken up to new reports.
Aviaja Jensen, who is a teacher, says that the threats have invaded her dreams. She sleeps poorly and has had nightmares about military ships outside Nuuk.
»The recent times have been very difficult to endure. I have been scared, shocked, and speechless that someone could think of saying they just want to take another country«, she says.
In recent days, soldiers have arrived in Nuuk. From Denmark and from several European countries. The Joint Arctic Command has informed citizens on social media that they will experience military personnel and see more military aircraft in the air, both transport planes and fighter jets.
It was unthinkable just months ago. When the Danish and Greenlandic governments adopted the latest defense agreement in October, where Nuuk got a more prominent role, Naleraq politician Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam gave an interview to Greenlandic KNR and complained that, among other things, a new headquarters for the Joint Arctic Command would make citizens in the capital »human shields«, which she reportedly said with tears in her voice.
But that sentiment is hard to find among the demonstrators. Aviaja Jensen sees the Danish and European soldiers as support for Greenland.
»It shows that they have our back«, she says.
Another has the analysis that the soldiers send an important signal to Trump that he would have to shoot a British soldier if he wants to take Greenland, and that would mean he is at war with England.
The long line of demonstrators goes through the city. Past the business school, the courthouse. On the blue building of the Maritime Authority, there is a balcony filled with demonstrators filming. The organizers have urged participants to share videos and pictures on social media to spread the message.
Whether the demonstrators’ chants reach all the way to the USA, no one knows. But there are so many that the ones at the back do not even reach the final destination, the American consulate, and hear the last speeches.
The consulate itself is a discreet red building. It is cordoned off with police tape and completely closed and shut down.
On the cliff above it, demonstrators stand with their banners. The rain has subsided. The wind unfurls Erfalasorput towards the gray sky.
