Greenlanders march across Nuuk against Trump's threat of takeover

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Greenlanders march across Nuuk against Trump's threat of takeover

2026-01-18 14:13 Last Updated At：01-20 00:02

Thousands of Greenlanders, joined by government officials, marched across the capital Nuuk on Saturday to protest against U.S. President Donald Trump's threat to take over the territory.

In Nuuk, people began gathering from early afternoon, chanting "Greenland belongs to Greenlanders."

The protest drew broad participation, including Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who waved a Greenlandic flag. Many participants wore caps bearing the words "Make America Go Away."

Before marching to the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, the crowd gathered for a minute of silence.

Then they sang Ayaya songs, a traditional Inuit way of sharing experiences, resolving conflict, and de-escalating tension.

Orla Joelsen who organized the protest said Trump should stop the psychological threats against Greenland.

The psychological impact of Trump's threats is being felt strongly by many there.

"I live in danger. I also don't get so much sleep because in all the news there I see is about Donald Trump wants to buy Greenland, and Greenland is not for sale, and we will never be for sale," said Parnuna Olsen, a protester.

When asked about how she felt in terms of Trump's threat, another protester named Jane said: "Stomachache, nervousness, how this is going to end. Because I know he wants revenge. I don't know any nice words about him."

"I have completely lost for words for what he is doing now. It is just completely insane," said Malik Dolleruk Sehebel, another protester.

Greenland is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with Copenhagen retaining control over defense and foreign policy. The United States maintains a military base on the island.

Trump has repeatedly demonstrated his interest in Greenland, from "buying" the island during his first presidential term, to the current employment of "a range of options" including "utilizing the U.S. military" to seize the autonomous island.

Later in the afternoon, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that the United States will impose 10-percent tariffs on all goods from Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, Britain, the Netherlands and Finland over Greenland issue starting on Feb 1.

Those tariffs would increase to 25 percent on June 1, and would continue until a deal is reached for the United States to purchase Greenland, Trump said on social media.

Dialogue essential to resolving US-Iran deadlock: Pakistani scholar

A Pakistani scholar has stressed the importance of dialogue in resolving the conflict between the United States and Iran, as the two sides remain deadlocked over access to the Strait of Hormuz and Iran's nuclear program.

In recent months, Pakistan has emerged as a key mediator between Washington and Tehran, pushing diplomacy as a path to ending the conflict.

In a recent interview with China Global Television Network (CGTN), Rabia Akhtar, dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Lahore, affirmed Pakistan's role as a mediator but stressed that whether an agreement is reached and implemented ultimately rests with the two countries.

"Pakistan's role is valuable because keeping a channel open gives the parties somewhere to take those agreements. A mediator can clarify a proposal, explore a sequence of reciprocal steps, and help each side understand what the other might accept. But a mediator cannot make the commitments on their behalf. Ultimately, Washington and Tehran have to decide that an agreement serves their interests and that they are prepared to implement it," she said.

Throughout the conflict, she noted, leaders have publicly deployed strong rhetoric against the other side. Akhtar called on both parties to withdraw from such practices, as they make reaching an agreement all the more difficult.

"There's also the domestic political problem. If you have told your public that anything short of the other side's surrender will be a defeat, you have made your own diplomacy much harder. Leaders need room to explain that a negotiated outcome can protect national interest. And quiet diplomacy helps because it allows options to be explored before every proposal becomes a public test of resolve," she said.

As the need for dialogue over conflict grows, Akhtar highlighted the potential role of China's Global Security Initiative (GSI), which focuses on addressing the world's growing security challenges through cooperation, dialogue, and shared responsibility, and offers a framework for managing crises.

"So for me, the GSI's emphasis on dialogue is relevant to what happens between crises as well as during them. So we need communication that survives political disagreements and commitments, that gives both sides a reason to exercise restraint. We cannot simply wait for trust to appear before we start talking. We have to use dialogue to establish whether commitments can be tested and whether restraint can be reciprocated," the scholar said.