Greenlanders stage protest as US opens upgraded consulate amid annexation fears

WEB DESK: Greenlanders have held a demonstration against the United States following the opening of a larger diplomatic hub in Nuuk on Thursday.

The event became a focal point for locals opposed to US President Donald Trump’s ambitions for greater influence over the Arctic island, while local government ministers pointedly shied away from the ceremony, according to The Express Tribune.

Moving from a modest wooden cabin on the outskirts of the capital to a much larger downtown office, the new United States consulate has drawn intense public scrutiny.

The expansion follows controversial statements from the White House regarding Washington’s desire to gain control of the island, which remains a semi-autonomous territory of Denmark.

Political boycott and public anger

Greenland’s Prime Minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, alongside a series of other local politicians, confirmed they had declined invitations to attend the official opening of the new diplomatic mission.

“We haven’t made a decision in principle, but I won’t participate,” Nielsen told local daily newspaper Sermitsiaq.

Outside the downtown office, several hundred people gathered to protest against the growing American presence.

Demonstrators carried the island’s red and white flag alongside posters reading “USA, stop it”, whilst chanting “No means no” and “Greenland belongs to the Greenlanders”.

Arctic strategy and annexation threats

Tensions have remained high since the White House disclosed in January that President Trump was considering methods to acquire Greenland, including the potential deployment of the US military.

Whilst talks have since transitioned to a diplomatic track, the suggestion of military intervention set off alarm bells among European NATO allies.

Greenland’s government stated earlier this week that progress had been made in high-stakes talks over the future of the territory amid US threats of annexation, reiterating that the giant island belongs to its people and will never be for sale.

Seeking to ease local anxieties, the US Ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Howery, struck a conciliatory tone during his opening speech.

“We will always be neighbours and stand by you, whatever future you decide for yourselves, as your allies and partners,” Howery said, according to Greenlandic public broadcaster KNR.

President Trump has previously described Greenland, which has a population of 57,000 people, as strategically vital for countering Russian and Chinese influence in the Arctic.

The US currently operates one active military base on the island, a significant reduction from the 17 facilities it maintained there in 1945.