'No means no': Greenlanders protest against Trump outside new US consulate

Hundreds of Greenlanders gathered outside a new American consulate in the capital Nuuk on Friday to protest against Donald Trump's ambition for greater influence over the island.

The protest capped a week in which the US president's special envoy to Greenland, Jeff Landry, made his first trip to the territory, a semi-autonomous part of Denmark.

"Our government already told Donald Trump and his administration that Greenland is not for sale," said Aqqalukkuluk Fontain, who organised the protest.

The inauguration of the new consulate and Landry's visit come amid efforts to ease diplomatic tensions after the US president's demands to control the island because of national security concerns.

The crowd of a few hundred people walked through the town centre chanting "Greenland is for Greenlanders", before standing in silence with their backs turned towards the consulate.

"Our message is for the American people and to the rest of the world," Fontain, 37, told the BBC ."That in a democratic world, no means no."

Standing among the crowd of protesters, Inge Bisgaard told the BBC that Landry's visit showed a lack of respect. "It's so important to show this is not okay."

"We get this fear from the United States. People were just recovering from last time, when it all began again in January," she said, referring to Trump's declarations for the US to "own" Greenland.

Another protester, 25-year-old Parnuna Olsen, questioned why the US needed a consulate in Greenland at all.

A close ally of Trump and Governor of Louisiana, Landry stirred controversy by coming without an official invitation, and while high-stakes talks continue to resolve the diplomatic crisis sparked by the US president's bid to control the territory.

Landry flew back to the US on Wednesday evening and was due to meet Trump on Thursday, the BBC understands.

Moving from a wooden cabin to a much larger high-rise, the new 3000 sq m consulate takes up a prominent location in the middle of downtown Nuuk.

Nicknamed "Trump towers" by locals, it marks a major and, for some residents, an unwelcome upgrade, at a sensitive time for US-Greenlandic relations.

Inside, the American anthem was performed by a musician on a ukulele to mark the diplomatic mission's opening.

A plaque was unveiled by the US Ambassador to Denmark, Kenneth Howery, who said he looked forward to a deeper partnership with Greenland.

"The Arctic is clearly a region of global importance," he said. "We will always be neighbours and be with you into whatever future you choose as allies and partners."

Greenlandic politicians were largely absent. Prime minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen had declined to attend and no cabinet ministers were present.