‘We are not for sale’: Greenlanders protest growing US presence in Nuuk

Protesters in Greenland gathered in the capital Nuuk on Thursday to oppose a growing US presence on the Arctic island after Washington reopened its consulate at a new location. Hundreds of demonstrators marched through the city carrying Greenlandic flags and banners reading “We are not for sale” and “Go Home USA”. The rally came one day after US special envoy Jeff Landry ended a visit to the autonomous Danish territory, where he argued that the United States should rebuild its military footprint. Police monitored the march as protesters accused Washington of treating Greenland as a strategic asset rather than a self-governing territory. The demonstrations reflect rising tensions over Greenland’s future as the island gains geopolitical importance because of Arctic shipping routes and rare-earth minerals. During the Cold War, the United States operated 17 military facilities in Greenland but today maintains only the Pituffik base in the north. President Donald Trump has repeatedly argued that Greenland is essential for US national security and warned against growing Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic. Greenlandic Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said this week that only Greenlanders can decide the territory’s future, while polls continue to show support for eventual independence from Denmark among much of the island’s 57,000 population.