Greenland residents start boycotting US goods

Against the backdrop of US President Donald Trump's statements about his intention to take Greenland from Denmark and make it a new state, the island's residents have started boycotting American goods, local radio station KNR said.

Photo: Tasiilaq Glacier Cruise by Christine Zenino, https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/

Glacier in Greenland

The Greenlanders have thus joined the campaign by Canadian citizens who also refuse to buy goods from the US for a similar reason. Greenlandic activists urge people to buy more European or Canadian products instead, as producers from these countries also suffer from Trump's policies.

In March, the head of the White House stated that the island would eventually come under Washington's control and promised its residents wealth. However, all local politicians oppose such a move, although some would like to permanently separate from Denmark.

Until 1953, Greenland was a colony of Denmark and remains part of the Kingdom of Denmark today, but in 2009 it gained the right to autonomy and independence in domestic politics. Last week, parliamentary elections were held on the island, where pro-independence supporters won and can now raise the issue of a referendum.

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Greenland is an autonomous territory in the Kingdom of Denmark. It is by far the largest of three constituent parts of the kingdom; the other two are metropolitan Denmark and the Faroe Islands. The citizens of all territories are full citizens of Denmark. Greenland is one of the Overseas Countries and Territories of the European Union and is part of the Council of Europe. The capital and largest city of Greenland is Nuuk. Greenland lies between the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, east of the Canadian Arctic Archipelago. It is the world's largest island, and is the location of the northernmost point of land in the world—Kaffeklubben Island off the northern coast is the world's northernmost undisputed point of land; Cape Morris Jesup on the mainland was thought to be so until the 1960s. Economically, Greenland is heavily reliant on aid from Denmark, amounting to nearly half of the territory's total public revenue.