Hundreds of people gathered outside the new U.S. consulate in Nuuk on Thursday to protest the opening and to push back against perceived U.S. pressure over Greenland’s future. Demonstrators waved Greenland’s red-and-white flag and held placards reading “USA ASU” (Stop USA), “Make America go away!” and “We are not for sale!” Their chants included “Greenland belongs to Greenlanders,” “Go home,” and “No means no.”
Several Greenlandic politicians declined invitations to the consulate opening. Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen told local outlet Sermitsiaq that while no formal decision had been made, he would not attend. Organizers said the protest aimed to assert Greenlandic self-determination rather than to provoke U.S. officials.
“It’s very important, now more than ever, to show the American people what we already said, that no means no, and that the future and self-determination of Greenland belongs to the Greenlandic people,” said Aqqalukkuluk Fontain, a 37-year-old IT account manager and one of the protest organizers, according to The Guardian.
The demonstration followed a visit by Jeff Landry, the Republican governor of Louisiana who was appointed by President Donald Trump as the U.S. envoy to Greenland in December. Landry arrived in Nuuk with a small delegation and left after several days. Local reporting and international outlets noted the trip was uninvited and attracted criticism, in part because a doctor traveling with the delegation said he was there to “assess the medical needs of Greenland,” a comment that angered some residents.
Coverage of Landry’s visit described awkward public encounters in which officials say he offered chocolate chip cookies and red “MAGA” hats to people he met on the street—gestures that did not win broad support. Landry met with Greenlandic Foreign Minister Múte Egede and Prime Minister Nielsen; officials called the talks “constructive,” but there was no sign the discussions changed U.S. policy.
Near the end of his trip, Landry told Agence France-Presse that “it’s time for the U.S. to put its footprint back on Greenland,” and spoke about the idea of increasing U.S. national security operations and repopulating certain bases. He argued that Greenland “needs the U.S.” and has valuable natural resources, remarks that have heightened local sensitivity about outside influence.
Polling cited by media have shown opposition among both Americans and Greenlanders to the idea of the United States asserting control over the territory. Protesters in Nuuk emphasized that any future decisions should rest with Greenland’s people.
The demonstrations and the consulate opening come amid heightened geopolitical attention on the Arctic and Greenland’s resource prospects. Media reports also placed the visit in the broader context of recent U.S. foreign policy moves referenced by critics, who say those actions have increased global tensions.
Organizers and participants at the Nuuk protest said their goal was to make Greenlandic voices visible internationally and to reaffirm the island’s right to decide its own future.
