Greenlanders now find their voices greatly amplified on the world stage after President Donald Trump’s claim that the US might take over their island.
Greenland is the world’s largest island – it’s larger even than France, Germany, Spain, United Kingdom, Italy, Greece, Switzerland, and Belgium combined.
But despite its size, Greenland remains a self-governing territory of Denmark and its foreign, defence and monetary policies are all decided in Copenhagen.
Since 1979, Greenland has had its own prime minister and other institutions but strategic decisions such as foreign affairs, monetary policy and defence remain under Danish control
Since 80 percent of it is permanently covered in ice, much of it remains inhabitable. It has a tiny population of just 56,000 people, most of them indigenous Inuits.
They’ve long taken pride in a culture and traditions that’s helped them survive for centuries in some of the most rugged conditions. They have a close link to nature and belong to one of the most beautiful, remote, untouched places on Earth.
But Greenlanders now find their voices greatly amplified on the world stage after President Donald Trump’s outlandish claimed that the US would take over their island.
Most say they don’t want to be American, and many are both worried and overwhelmed by the comments and the attention Trump’s comments have brought.
But many also see the global spotlight on them as an opportunity to promote their longstanding push for independence from Denmark, which is a key issue in Tuesday’s legislative elections.
Tuesday’s legislative elections
The parliament – the Inatsisartut – has just 31 MPs who will be chosen from six political parties, two of whom are in the governing coalition.
Since few opinion polls take place on the Arctic island, it is less clear than in other European elections as to what the outcome might be.
But one poll conducted by Verian in January asked 497 Greenlanders who they would vote for. It suggested the left-wing Inuit Ataqatigiit party could gain about 31% and beat the ruling Siumut party by about 9%.
Inuit Ataqatigiit party and Simiut party may continue to govern in a coalition, as they do now.
The prime minister comes from the party with the most seats, which is currently the Inuit Ataqatigiit party’s Múte Egede.
Simiut has promised a vote on independence after the election, which may help it attract more voters, and perhaps allow it to choose the next prime minister.
But Naleraq is the largest opposition party and has been growing in popularity with its pro-independence policy and its apparent willingness to collaborate with the United States.
Qupanuk Olsen, who is Greenland’s most popular influencer, is running for Naleraq, and with more than 500,000 followers on TikTok and 300,000 on Instagram, she has the best online platform to campaign from.
US President Trump has said he’ll gain Greenland ‘one way or the other’
Unsurprisingly, Greenlanders are not keen for the US to take them over. Just hours after Trump declared in his speech to a joint session of Congress that he intends to gain control of the island “one way or the other,” Greenland’s prime minister Múte Bourup Egedeposted a simple message on Facebook : “Greenland is ours.”
“Kalaallit Nunaat is ours,” Egede said in the post, using the Greenlandic name for his country.
“We don’t want to be Americans, nor Danes; We are Kalaallit. The Americans and their leader must understand that. We are not for sale and cannot simply be taken. Our future will be decided by us in Greenland,” he said. The post ended with a clenched fist emoji and a Greenlandic flag.
Since taking office six weeks ago, Trump has repeatedly expressed his interest in mineral-rich Greenland, that sits along strategic sea lanes in the North Atlantic. Greenland, a self-governing territory of Denmark with a population of about 56,000 people, lies off the northeastern coast of Canada, closer to Washington, D.C., than to Copenhagen.
Trump made a direct appeal to Greenlanders in his speech to Congress, just a week before the country’s voters cast their ballots in parliamentary elections.
“We strongly support your right to determine your own future, and if you choose, we welcome you into the United States of America,” Trump said.
“We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before,” he added.
Greenland’s independence movement
Greenlanders voted overwhelmingly in favour of self-government in a 2009 referendum that also established a pathway to independence whenever the people of the island support such a move. Under the terms of that referendum, Denmark remains responsible for Greenland’s defence and foreign affairs, with the local government controlling other matters.
Asked about Trump’s comments, Denmark’s foreign minister said he doesn’t think Greenlanders want to separate from Denmark only to become “an integrated part of America.”
Lars Løkke Rasmussen said he believed Trump’s reference to respecting Greenlanders’ right to self-determination was the most important part of his speech.
“I’m very optimistic about what will be a Greenlandic decision about this,” he said during a trip to Finland. “They want to loosen their ties to Denmark. We’re working on that, to have a more equal relationship.”
Løkke added that it was important for next week’s elections to be free and fair “without any kind of international intervention.”
Greenland’s geo-political and economic importance
Greenland is vital to the world, though much of the world may not realise it. The U.S and other global powers covet its strategic location in the Arctic; its valuable rare earth minerals trapped under the ice needed for telecommunications; its billions of barrels of untapped oil.
There’s also potential for shipping and trade routes as the ice that covers most of Greenland keeps retreating because of climate change. If that ice melts, it would reshape coastlines across the globe and potentially shift weather patterns.
Colonial Denmark
Denmark colonised Greenland 300 years ago and still exercises control over foreign and defence policy, though Greenland won self-rule in 1979 and runs itself through its parliament.
Trump’s comments about Greenland also set off a political crisis in Denmark. The prime minister went on a tour of European capitals to garner support, saying the continent faced “a more uncertain reality,” while her country moved to strengthen its military presence around Greenland.
Greenland’s economy depends on fisheries and other industries as well as on an annual grant of about 554 million euros from Denmark.
Aka Hansen, an Inuk filmmaker and writer, is suspicious of Trump’s intentions – but still thanks him for turning the world’s attention to her homeland.
Like many other Greenlanders, she wants her homeland and people to be respected and she doesn’t want to be ruled by another colonial power. But she feels Trump’s rhetoric has increased the momentum for independence from Denmark.
Denmark has been accused of committing abuses against Greenland’s Inuit people, including removing children from their families in the 1950s with the excuse of integrating them into Danish society and fitting women with intrauterine contraceptive devices in the 1960s and 1970s — allegedly to limit population growth in Greenland.
