LISTEN | Full interview with Greenlander Aqqaluk Lynge:
As It Happens6:00Greenlandic politician who fought for his people’s autonomy wants U.S. to back off
The people of Greenland are on edge, says Aqqaluk Lynge.
Lynge, a former member of Greenland’s parliament, is one of the founders of the pro-Greenlandic independence party Inuit Ataqatigiit. But these days, as the U.S. once again threatens to annex Greenland, Lynge is loudly reminding the world that his homeland is a free and self-governing territory of the Danish commonwealth.
That may be news, he says, to White House homeland security advisor Stephen Miller, who told CNN on Monday that “Greenland should be part of the United States” and refused to rule out seizing it by force.
Days earlier, Miller’s wife, political adviser Katie Miller, posted a map of Greenland on X coloured in with the American flag, alongside the caption: “SOON.”
These renewed threats come after the U.S. raided Venezuela on the weekend, captured its president and his wife, and declared it would run the country and its oil industry. Soon after, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened to do the same to Colombia.
Trump also frequently touts the idea of making Canada the 51st state.
“Maybe Canada is the next, and then Greenland,” Lynge said during an interview with As It Happens host Nil Köksal. Here is part of that conversation.
You’ve been here before. The U.S. president has threatened Greenland sovereignty before. But when you first heard those words from Stephen Miller, how did you react in that moment?
We are, first of all, an integral part of the Danish constitution, and we are a proud member of the Danish commonwealth of Denmark, the Faroe Islands and Greenland. So that’s our reality.
Perhaps it was supposed to evoke a reaction, those comments. But for you personally, what did it feel like to hear that?
It’s kind of a disservice, you know. Because it’s one year ago tomorrow that Trump’s son landed in Greenland and created this situation.
Greenland is part of Europe. Greenland is part of Denmark. Greenland is part of the Nordic countries. We are part of the Western world, members of NATO. So why should [the] U.S. do this to us?
It’s ridiculous for us, from here, to see what’s going on. We are not an enemy. We have been friends with the United States for 80 years, at least. What’s going on here? If they want anything with Greenland, why don’t they talk to the Danish and Greenlandic governments, instead of using their social media to do everything?
I think we have a very serious problem, and we need Canada’s support.
Aqqaluk Lynge, pictured here in 2009, is a former member of Greenland’s parliament and one of the founders of the pro-Greenlandic independence party Inuit Ataqatigiit (Scanpix Denmark/AFP/Getty Images)
In terms of the U.S. administration, they’re suggesting that this is about security in some way. What do you think is the motivation for this talk? Why do you think they’re bringing this up again right now in this way?
Since the 1990s, the U.S. has shut down its own bases in Greenland. It’s not us that have created the situation where their presence has been only up in the Thule airbase. So the United States is solely responsible for this. We haven’t done anything against them.
It’s really frustrating for us. What do you do with friends that are no longer friends? I don’t know.
I think that all of us in the Arctic must be ready for anything. And I’m sure that Denmark and Canada are talking to each other very closely. We are in a dangerous, very dangerous, situation right now.
WATCH | Mark Carney meets Danish PM:
Carney meets Danish PM, says Greenland’s future will be decided by people of Greenland and Denmark
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, who has been facing U.S. threats over Greenland, said Tuesday after a meeting with Mark Carney that the Canadian prime minister has been ‘very clear’ on his respect for national sovereignty and shared values.
Mark Carney, Canada’s prime minister, as you know, spoke with his Danish counterpart today. He’s spoken about support for Denmark and for Greenland. And also we know that in February, our Gov. Gen. Mary Simon and Foreign Affairs Minister Anita Anand are going to be visiting. And she has confirmed that Canada will be opening a consulate in Nuuk. That visit, the comments so far, opening a consulate — how can that help in face of what you’re experiencing right now? Can it?
With the changing world that we are seeing, we need friends in Greenland, so we are very much welcoming the new office here. And it is important, also, that after Maduro, they are talking about Colombia. Maybe Canada is the next, and then Greenland.
It’s really something that the Greenlanders are very nervous about. And I think that the vast majority of Greenlanders want a steady connection to Denmark through the arrangements that we have. That’s the only freedom we have.
The world must understand that Greenland is not about to do anything other than negotiating with Denmark, our closest ally for 300 years, and there’s nothing that we intend to separate from Denmark. That’s not the case. We are not separatists.
You’ve campaigned for independence for Greenland in the past. Is this kind of pressure from the United States … changing how you feel about that movement?
The question of independence can be solved in many ways, and we have already done that in Greenland in a manner that [is] very good for us. Denmark and Greenland are working closely together.
We had no problems until MAGA came in. So what we need in Greenland is that we stick together.
We are not negotiating independence right now. The world has changed so much that it’s not on the table anymore. What is on the table is that Denmark needs Greenland and we need Faroe Islands together in the Danish commonwealth. We need the support from the outside world.
Those that are trying to destroy the connection between Denmark and Greenland will fail, because we are family. We have been together for 300 years.
We are not about to separate from the world. It’s the United States that are separating from the Western world. And that’s something that everyone should care about.
What are you hearing from your friends and relatives? You know, when you talk about what a dangerous moment we are in and you are in, what are people telling you, just personally, about how they’re feeling?
I think that Greenlanders are mostly nervous that anything could happen. And that is how we look at the United States now. Regular people, they don’t trust the United States anymore.
