The light drizzle, highly unusual for this time of year in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, did not deter residents from protesting against Donald Trump and his stated aim to take control of the Danish autonomous territory. Peaceful but determined, crowds gathered in large numbers on Saturday, January 17, to say “no” to Trump’s plan. “Half the city is here,” said Inuit Indigenous rights activist Najannguaq Hegelund, surveying the crowd. Meanwhile, in Denmark, thousands gathered in Copenhagen – 15,000 according to organizers – and in other major cities such as Aalborg, Aarhus and Odense, chanting the same slogan: “Greenland is not for sale.” And even more: “Trump, hands off Greenland!”

Greenlanders, led by their prime minister, Jens-Frederik Nielsen, marched from downtown Nuuk along icy roads to the US consulate. Hotel workers, hospital staff, laborers and fishery employees, many with their families, all carried the Erfalasorput, the national flag – red and white semicircles against a contrasting background. The traditional dance and song of quilaat (a frame drum), a hallmark of Inuit culture for special events or settling disputes, marked the start of the march.

Trump’s trademark MAGA slogan was reworked into “Make America Go Away.” A man waved a placard with the US president’s portrait and that of his associates, crossed out with “No migrants.” “This is our land, we don’t want Americans here,” said Selik Enoksen, who attended with his wife, a student, and their two-year-old baby. “We’re tired of Trump’s methods,” added Angutitsiaq, another young father carrying his three-year-old daughter on his shoulders. Born in the northeast of the island, this 37-year-old schoolteacher, who preferred not to give his last name, favors a Danish partnership: “We must work with Denmark to preserve and develop our country.”

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