Mass protests erupt across Denmark and Greenland over U.S. push

In Copenhagen, Denmark's capital, a large crowd gathered at City Hall Square in central Copenhagen around 12 p.m. local time before marching toward the U.S. Embassy, about 2 km away. Protesters included people from both Denmark and Greenland. Many of them carried Danish and Greenlandic flags as they marched through the city.

In Nuuk, Greenland's capital, people began gathering from early afternoon. The protest drew broad participation, including Greenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen, who waved a Greenlandic flag as demonstrators chanted slogans and traditional Inuit songs under light rain.

Similar protests were held or planned in the Danish cities of Aarhus, Odense, and Aalborg, as well as in the Greenlandic cities of Aasiaat, Qaqortoq, and Ilulissat, according to Danish media.

U.S. President Donald Trump announced on Saturday 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 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.

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.

On Friday, President Trump said he is considering using tariffs as leverage against countries that oppose U.S. interests related to Greenland, citing national security concerns.

As Qazinform News Agency previously reported, France plans to open a consulate in Greenland amid U.S. claims over the island.

Earlier, Denmark confirmed a fundamental disagreement with the United States over the future of Greenland following talks in Washington with senior U.S. officials, while stressing that any change to the island’s status is unacceptable