‘Canada is next’: Trump’s Greenland comments are concerning, Inuk lawyer says

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A prominent Inuk lawyer and activist born in Greenland says U.S. President Donald Trump’s recent comments about taking control of the territory should be concerning for the entire international community.

Aaju Peter, who has lived in Iqaluit since the 1980s, told CTV News Channel on Thursday that she didn’t initially take Trump’s comments about annexing Greenland seriously. “But now, seeing what the president of the United States can do, it’s a real threat,” she said.

“We need to listen to the people of Greenland and to the elected officials who would like to speak with Trump on what it is he’s trying to do and also listen to Greenlanders’ wishes that they don’t want to be part of the United States.”

Trump’s most recent comments about Greenland came shortly after the U.S. military’s operation to capture and extradite Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro – a unilateral move that some members of the international community have condemned.

“Greenland is covered with Russian and Chinese ships all over the place,” Trump told reporters on Air Force One Sunday, according to CNN. “We need Greenland from the standpoint of national security, and Denmark is not going to be able to do it.”

No interest in joining the U.S.: poll

Despite Trump’s claims, the fact remains that the vast majority of Greenlanders have no interest in becoming part of the U.S., argued Peter. “Eighty-five per cent of Greenlanders and people in Greenland do not wish to join the United States, and they should be listened to,” she said.

Greenland, though not a fully independent state, is a self-governing territory within the Kingdom of Denmark, with autonomy over most things concerning its own domestic affairs, while Danish currency is used there and Denmark is responsible for the territory’s foreign policy and defence.

Within the territory, however, there exists a growing independence movement, and many of the territory’s politicians have promised to take further steps towards it, though a concrete timeline has not yet been put down.

Peter said any U.S. action to unilaterally take control of Greenland using economic or military force “goes against all the agreements that have been signed.” As part of Denmark, Greenland is a member of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and has been since 1949.

“I could say I need to be the president of the United States, but that ain’t gonna happen. So, he has to listen to what the people of Greenland want,” Peter said.

“We have had a good relationship with the U.S. since World War Two, and we would like to have a good relationship with the U.S., that’s what the Greenland leadership is saying. Let’s talk about this, let’s come to a good resolution that works for the people of Greenland.”

Peter said that the wider democratic world should be in full support of Greenland, as Trump’s threats could lead to further unilateral actions in the future.

“We should not at all support Trump’s attempt to take over Greenland,” she said, “because once he does that, then we know that Canada is next, and we can’t let that happen.”