‘The land is legally owned by Greenland – gangster Trump cannot simply buy it’

Daily Record reporter Mark McGivern went to Greenland to speak to locals outraged by Trump’s plans for the country

In Nuuk, Greenland’s small capital, an imposing new building dominates the skyline from the main road. It’s hardly a skyscraper, but it catches my eye when I arrive in Nuuk.

And I soon discover that its purpose has become the focus of heated debate among the locals. The building is America’s brand new consulate and is dwarfed by the cheerful, multi-colored low-rise homes and office buildings that characterize the picture-postcard town.

It was until recently seen as a welcome addition to the world’s most remote city of just 20,000 residents, a further commitment from their American friends. But recent statements from the most powerful man in the world have sent chills into the bones of people who already live in the coldest place on earth.

Nuuk-based plumber Mads Pedersen, 35, told the File of his disgust at Donald Trump’s repeated threats to take Greenland – by force if necessary.

The statements have sparked a diplomatic crisis, with Greenland’s current sovereign ruler, Denmark, and the island’s own government in turmoil.

Mads said: “It’s a sh**show to be honest. This man knows no boundaries, he doesn’t care about laws or people and he makes direct threats against people who care so much about people in their community. He’s talking about buying everything – buying the land, buying the people.”

“We can see that he has been working on a plan to take over and we really don’t know what will happen if additional American consular people come through. But people don’t want our home to turn into an American colony.”

My first impressions of Nuuk – a five-hour flight from ruling Copenhagen – reveal a modern city with Greenland’s only shopping centre. But with temperatures of -17 degrees Celsius on the night we arrived, there was no doubt that life in Greenland is one of extremes. This is a town whose main industry is fishing and where life can be tough. There are no McDonalds or Starbucks among the buildings in this city. And that’s how the locals would like it to stay.

Mads, who was relaxing with a beer with fellow plumber Simon Pedersen and Martin Nielsen after a hard week’s work, said he was sickened by claims that Trump would try to buy off Greenlanders with suggestions for annual allowances of $10,000 a year.

He said, “We don’t care about his money and we humans wouldn’t do it for a million dollars.”

Mads, 35, said Trump had ruined his own chances of getting support from Greenlanders by telling them violence was an option.

He said: “He has ruined the whole game. If he wanted to make one of his ‘deals’ he won’t get it because he has lost all trust. He doesn’t understand that he is dealing with proud people who don’t care about what Donald Trump wants.”

“He might have continued to take the diplomatic route, but the man has no patience and no respect for Greenland or its people.”

The Inuit name for Greenland – Inuit Nunaat – means ‘land of the people’. By law, individuals are not allowed to buy land here – so it comes as quite an insult to most when Donald Trump says he will ‘make a deal’.

Fellow plumber Simon Pedersen, 35, came to Nuuk from Denmark six years ago – and never went back. He said it is just plain old talk when Trump says he will take over Greenland by force.

He tells me, “I would say that’s not going to happen because we’re dealing with NATO and the actual future of the world. This would be a step too far, even for Trump.”

Simon said that the current situation has brought many ties between Danish and Greenlandic citizens, with many families now connected and intertwined due to the movement of people from one homeland to another.

He said: “We are both connected and although there are historical grudges and things are not perfect, we are not in a state of emergency. There are people in Denmark with sisters or brothers or parents in Greenland and there are Greenlandic people whose grandparents were Danish. People don’t hate each other or the cultures and are very connected.”

Simon also pointed out the irony of the fact that even Greenlanders cannot buy land there.

He said: “The land is legally owned by Greenland. This is important for national identity and culture. So how can Trump just say he will buy it? He is some kind of gangster.”

Father-of-three Martin Nielsen 41, also a member of the plumber gang, said: “For me, I want my children to get a good education and I would encourage them to go to Denmark when they are old enough to do that. If they want to stay here, that’s fine. And if they want to go to university, come back, that would be fine too.”

“Trump taking power by force seems like a nightmare scenario and we only hope that something like this doesn’t happen.”

Trump’s announcement of an intention to take over Greenland sparked a crisis for the people of Greenland and Denmark, the ruling nation.

It also put the world on edge, including China and Russia, both of which have their own intentions for the strategically crucial Arctic.

The capture of Venezuela’s rogue state leader Nicolas Maduro has boosted the confidence of the POTUS, who has flouted international law and appears to have gotten away scot-free.

And residents of the world’s largest island were happy to see Trump’s eyes turned from their shores, a year after he initially boldly stated his goals for a takeover of Greenland.

Its inhabitants – with a large majority of Inuit natives – were more than content to be largely ignored by the world.

Thousands of tourists are drawn to natural wonders such as spectacular icebergs, humpback whales, waterfalls and the Aurora Borealis, the frequent displays of the Aurora Borealis.

But rare earth minerals in the ground and new, thawing shipping routes have put the island at the center of a new cold war. Greenlanders are known for their modesty and courtesy – and do not enjoy the attention of the world media

They also don’t like being insulted and now threatened by the most powerful man in the world. The British Honorary Consul in Greenland, Christian Keldsen, is also director of the Greenland Business Association.

Keldsen wants to emphasize that he speaks with his business hat on and admits that many people live with fear and anxiety after Trump’s comments.

He said: “I think the majority of people I talk to say it’s a combination of being annoyed and, the most common thing I hear, is that it’s disrespectful.

“Someone talks about their country as just a block of ice or a piece of land, forgetting that this place actually houses people, that it contains culture, that it contains our daily lives.

“And in addition, or as an extension of that, there are people who are afraid right now, because we are talking about a military takeover and other things are going to come into play.”

Keldsen said talk of annexation is ridiculous because the US has already signed deals to allow it to extract mineral resources and move freely in Greenland.

He said: “So it’s somewhat annoying, given this good relationship, when someone talks about acquisitions and annexation and all these other things, because it’s not necessary.

“The US has access to our territory. They have access to our business. They can make investments here. Our government is very pro-US. So it’s not necessary. It just creates some noise in the background.”

“The relationship is here, the consulate is here and Greenland has representation in the US. We did a lot of events together with America. Americans. So we pursued this, and we did it in a very friendly and amicable way.

Keldsen said national pride in Greenland is high, with a strong majority in favor of independence when the time is right for them.

He said: “We are an ambitious country, and every ambitious country in the world has to prosper, strive for autonomy, sovereignty and so on, and of course we do that. So the idea of ​​leaving one relationship or one colonizer and then being taken over by another is not on people’s agenda.”