Escalation
Escalation of Donald Trump's threats to invade or annex Greenland further damaged relations between the United States and Denmark when, in December 2025, he unilaterally appointed Jeff Landry as "special envoy to Greenland". [11] [12] Landry subsequently stated that his objective was to make Greenland part of the US. [13] In response, Danish Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen called Landry's statements "completely unacceptable" and urged every nation, including the United States, to respect Danish sovereignty over the island. [14] [15]
Following the 2026 United States intervention in Venezuela, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Stephen Miller asserted that the US has the right to take Greenland. [16] [17] His wife, Katie Miller, published a map of Greenland covered in the US flag with the caption "SOON". [18] [19]
The situation escalated on 6 January 2026, when Trump claimed that he was open to use military force to acquire Greenland if necessary. [20] Despite resistance from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, he ordered the Joint Special Operations Command to prepare a possible plan to invade and annex the territory. [21] On 12 January, Trump stated that the US would own Greenland "one way or another", [20] with Trump officials threatening to "take action" the following day, stating that the US could do so "within weeks". [22] Amid the escalation, and a diplomatic discussion between European and US envoys, Operation Arctic Endurance, involving multiple NATO members, was called upon by Denmark. [23]
Preparation of the protest
Following the escalation, multiple organizations, primarily Greenlandic, called upon citizens from Denmark to join the protest. One of the organizers, Uagut, stated that the goal of the "Hands off Greenland" protests was "to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland's democracy and fundamental human rights". [24] [25]
Thousands indicated on social media that they would participate, [26] with at least 900 people confirming their participation on the official Facebook page for Greenland (approximately 1.6% of the territory's 56,000 residents). [25] [27] The rally in Copenhagen was scheduled to start at 12:00 EST (11:00 GMT), while the rally in Nuuk was scheduled for 16:00 WGT (15:00 GMT). [25] The organizing bodies included UAGUT, "Hands Off Kalaallit Nunaat" (the Greenlandic name for the island), the "Inuit organization" (composed of over 20 other Inuit sub-organizations), and the NGO Mellemfolkeligt Samvirke. [28]
After finding out of the protest, Aaju Peter—a local lawyer and activist of Iqaluit, the capital of the Canadian territory Nunavut—organized a local protest in the city in support of the people of Greenland, whom he defined as "one people" when compared to the indigenous people living in Nunavut. The protest was scheduled for 10:00 EST (15:00 GMT). [29]
