NUUK, Greenland: Hundreds of people marched through Greenland’s capital on Thursday to protest the opening of an expanded United States consulate, underscoring rising tensions over Washington’s growing interest in the Arctic island.
Videos shared on social media showed protesters chanting “Go home USA!” as demonstrators moved through central Nuuk.
Others carried signs reading “We don’t want your money” while guests gathered inside the newly expanded diplomatic mission for an official reception marking the opening.
The upgraded consulate forms part of a broader US push to increase its diplomatic and strategic footprint in Greenland, a semiautonomous territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, as President Donald Trump continues to express interest in the resource-rich Arctic island.
Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen declined to attend the ceremony, while several other senior officials also stayed away as ties with Washington remain strained.
Lawmakers have also publicly rejected invitations to events hosted by the consulate, citing the current political climate.
US Ambassador to Denmark Ken Howery said Washington had ruled out the use of force and stressed that Greenland’s future “must be decided by Greenlanders”.
Despite those assurances, the opening ceremony highlighted growing public opposition and political unease over the US presence on the island.
