I can hear the crowd coming before I can see it. We shuffle forward expectantly, craning our necks to get a good glimpse of the protest as it advances down Dag Hammarskjölds Allé towards the American Embassy.
Thousands gathered in Copenhagen on 17 January to protest President Trump’s intent to take over Greenland “for national security.” Since his return to office, American foreign policy has shifted dramatically, now culminating in a stand-off with Denmark and NATO as the world marks the first year of Trump’s second term.
As the media rushes to label recent events as a new era of American imperialism, another question of imperialism emerges. What is the role of Denmark in Greenland today? And how will the looming threat of Trump’s America affect the future of Greenland’s independence?
The crowd around me all share this concern, particularly the Greenlanders whose placards and flags show two sides of this protest. Some are clearly advocating for a stronger relationship with Denmark, holding signs saying “we are family” and waving Danish flags. But others are calling for Greenland’s independence, from both the US and Denmark, the latter of which has colonised Greenland since the early 18th century.
Danes and Greenlanders stand united against Trump but divided on the future of their relationship with the Kingdom of Denmark.
Denmark continues to control Greenland’s foreign and security policy, despite Greenland being a self-governing territory since 2009. The colonial history between the two countries is rife with scandal, such as an ongoing investigation into Spiralkampagnen. The Danish government implemented the programme to forcibly sterilise thousands of Greenlandic women and girls in the 1960s and 70s by citing concerns about ‘out of control’ population growth in Greenland. The IUDs were often implanted without the knowledge or consent of the women involved, and now 143 of those women are suing the Danish government.
Another story broke in the late 1990s of a catastrophic social experiment involving 22 Greenlandic children being removed from their families and given to foster families in Denmark. All 22 children ended up back in orphanages in Greenland, and half had died by early adulthood.
The political relationship between the countries has become increasingly strained as the details of these scandals emerge alongside slow moves towards independence. And now Trump’s obsession with Greenland has pushed Nuuk and Copenhagen closer together, temporarily derailing the island’s independence movement. At a recent press conference, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s Prime Minister, declared, “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark” – firmly allying himself with Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister.
As Denmark, the EU, and the UK stand united behind Greenland, thousands of protesters line the streets in Copenhagen. Whether they are advocating for “decolonisation not recolonisation” or waving Danish flags, one thing is clear – the US is not welcome in Greenland.
And whether Denmark is either is a question that will no doubt resurface later.
Image by Ida Middlemiss Frost for The Student.
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Trump’s imperialist foreign policy is testing Denmark’s colonial relationship with Greenland
I can hear the crowd coming before I can see it. We shuffle forward expectantly, craning our necks to get a good glimpse of the protest as it advances down Dag Hammarskjölds Allé towards the American Embassy.
Thousands gathered in Copenhagen on 17 January to protest President Trump’s intent to take over Greenland “for national security.” Since his return to office, American foreign policy has shifted dramatically, now culminating in a stand-off with Denmark and NATO as the world marks the first year of Trump’s second term.
As the media rushes to label recent events as a new era of American imperialism, another question of imperialism emerges. What is the role of Denmark in Greenland today? And how will the looming threat of Trump’s America affect the future of Greenland’s independence?
The crowd around me all share this concern, particularly the Greenlanders whose placards and flags show two sides of this protest. Some are clearly advocating for a stronger relationship with Denmark, holding signs saying “we are family” and waving Danish flags. But others are calling for Greenland’s independence, from both the US and Denmark, the latter of which has colonised Greenland since the early 18th century.
Danes and Greenlanders stand united against Trump but divided on the future of their relationship with the Kingdom of Denmark.
Denmark continues to control Greenland’s foreign and security policy, despite Greenland being a self-governing territory since 2009. The colonial history between the two countries is rife with scandal, such as an ongoing investigation into Spiralkampagnen. The Danish government implemented the programme to forcibly sterilise thousands of Greenlandic women and girls in the 1960s and 70s by citing concerns about ‘out of control’ population growth in Greenland. The IUDs were often implanted without the knowledge or consent of the women involved, and now 143 of those women are suing the Danish government.
Another story broke in the late 1990s of a catastrophic social experiment involving 22 Greenlandic children being removed from their families and given to foster families in Denmark. All 22 children ended up back in orphanages in Greenland, and half had died by early adulthood.
The political relationship between the countries has become increasingly strained as the details of these scandals emerge alongside slow moves towards independence. And now Trump’s obsession with Greenland has pushed Nuuk and Copenhagen closer together, temporarily derailing the island’s independence movement. At a recent press conference, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, Greenland’s Prime Minister, declared, “If we have to choose between the United States and Denmark here and now, we choose Denmark” – firmly allying himself with Mette Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister.
As Denmark, the EU, and the UK stand united behind Greenland, thousands of protesters line the streets in Copenhagen. Whether they are advocating for “decolonisation not recolonisation” or waving Danish flags, one thing is clear – the US is not welcome in Greenland.
And whether Denmark is either is a question that will no doubt resurface later.
Image by Ida Middlemiss Frost for The Student.
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