By&nbspEuronews&nbspwith&nbspAFP

Published on
17/01/2026 – 17:02 GMT+1

Thousands of people took to the streets of Denmark’s capital on Saturday to protest at US President Donald Trump’s push to take over Greenland.

The protest followed Trump’s warning on Friday that he “may put a tariff” on countries that oppose his plans to take over mineral-rich Greenland, which is an autonomous territory of Denmark.

They also coincided with a visit to Copenhagen by a bipartisan delegation from the US Congress that has made clear the opposition of many Americans to the Trump administration’s sabre-rattling.

Waving the flags of Denmark and Greenland, the protesters formed a sea of red and white outside Copenhagen city hall, chanting “Kalaallit Nunaat!” — the vast Arctic island’s name in Greenlandic.

Thousands of people had said on social media they would to take part in marches and rallies organised by Greenlandic associations in Copenhagen, and in Aarhus, Aalborg, Odense and the Greenlandic capital Nuuk.

“The aim is to send a clear and unified message of respect for Greenland’s democracy and fundamental human rights,” Uagut, an association of Greenlanders in Denmark, said on its website.

A sister demonstration was scheduled to happen in Nuuk, the capital of Greenland, to protest the US’ “illegal plans to take control of Greenland”, organisers said.

Demonstrators would march to the US consulate carrying Greenlandic flags.

The Copenhagen rally made a stop outside the US embassy in the Danish capital.

Demand respect

“Recent events have put Greenland and Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark under pressure,” Uagut chairwoman Julie Rademacher said in a statement to AFP, calling for “unity”.

“When tensions rise and people go into a state of alarm, we risk creating more problems than solutions for ourselves and for each other. We appeal to Greenlanders in both Greenland and Denmark to stand together,” she said.

The demonstration in Greenland was “to show that we are taking action, that we stand together and that we support our politicians, diplomats and partners,” Kristian Johansen, one of the organisers, said in a statement.

“We demand respect for our country’s right to self-determination and for us as a people,” added Avijaja Rosing-Olsen, another organiser.

“We demand respect for international law and international legal principles. This is not only our struggle, it is a struggle that concerns the entire world.”

According to the latest poll published in January 2025, 85 percent of Greenlanders oppose the territory joining the United States. Only six percent were in favour.

No security threat

Speaking in Copenhagen, where the Congressional delegation met top Danish and Greenlandic politicians and business leaders, US Democratic Senator Chris Coons insisted there was no security threat to Greenland to justify the Trump administration’s stance.

He was responding after Trump advisor Stephen Miller claimed on Fox News that Denmark was too small to defend its sovereign Arctic territory.

“There are no pressing security threats to Greenland, but we share real concern about Arctic security going forward, as the climate changes, as the sea ice retreats, as shipping routes change,” Coons told the press.

“There are legitimate reasons for us to explore ways to invest better in Arctic security broadly, both in the American Arctic and in our NATO partners and allies,” said Coons, who is leading the US delegation. Trump has repeatedly criticised Denmark — a NATO ally — for, in his view, not doing enough to ensure Greenland’s security.

The US president has pursued that argument, despite strategically located Greenland — as part of Denmark — being covered by NATO’s security umbrella.

European NATO members are deploying troops in Greenland for a military exercise designed to show the world, including the United States, that they will “defend (their) sovereignty”,

French armed forces minister Alice Rufo said this week.

Britain, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway and Sweden have announced they are sending small numbers of military personnel to prepare for future exercises in the Arctic.

The United States has been invited to participate in the exercise, Denmark said on Friday.

While thousands of Iranians take to the streets daily demanding the downfall of the Islamic Republic, people in the small European country of Georgia, along Russia’s southern border, have been protesting at various levels of intensity for over a year following disputed parliamentary elections in 2024.

Everyday Georgians who are still braving freezing temperatures and allegations of violence by the authorities are looking at their peers fighting for democracy in Iran and seeing their own struggle playing out against a corrupt and unpopular regime.

“When you walk through the demonstrations every day in Tbilisi, all people talk about is Iran. The heated debate over it shows how much it matters and how optimism is out on the streets due to developments despite controversies,” Tinatin Khidasheli, former defense minister of Georgia, told Fox News Digital.

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“Developments in Iran resonate in a very human way: if people can challenge a far more despotic and violent regime, it reinforces the belief that resistance in Georgia is not futile,” Khidasheli added.

Mass protests began shortly after the pro-Russia Georgian Dream party claimed victory in elections in October 2024 and halted Georgia’s efforts to join the European Union.

Georgians have long desired to move closer to the West and join the European Union, with opinion polls showing overwhelming support for joining the bloc. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Kobakhidze halted Tbilisi’s accession path to join the EU shortly after taking power, sparking anger from many.

Tbilisi’s main Rustaveli Avenue has been crowded with protesters chanting and blocking traffic, outraged at the ruling party pulling Georgia away from Europe and closer to a Russian-oriented foreign policy.

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Erekle Koplatadze, a 33-year-old from Tbilisi, has been participating in protests almost daily since November 2024. Koplatadze, who was detained for six days for allegedly blocking a road while protesting in November 2025, told Fox News Digital that there has been a feeling of solidarity with the protests in Iran since people rose up in December against economic mismanagement and regime corruption. 

“You will see many Lion and Sun flags (Iran’s national flag until the 1979 Islamic Revolution) in front of Georgia’s Parliament. And there have been protests in front of the Iranian Embassy in Tbilisi,” Koplatadze said.

Koplatadze said the news coming out of Iran and the regime’s brutal violence employed against innocent people has shaken many Georgians in the crowd and a shared sense of empathy has emerged.

“I don’t remember such a big protest in Tbilisi in support of a foreign nation except for Ukraine,” he said.

Ana Riaboshenko, co-founder of the “Initiative Culture For Democracy” who attends protests on a regular basis, told Fox News Digital that developments in Iran directly affect Georgia, as well as all the countries in the region. 

“Its transformation from a terrorist state to a democratic government will significantly change the situation and indeed contribute substantially to the global power balance and economy.  A particularly positive outcome is expected with the collapse of the Russian-Iranian partnership.”

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Riaboshenko pointed out that Russian-backed Georgian Dream representatives positioned themselves as partners with Tehran and bilateral relations and cooperation have increased since the rigged elections of 2024.

Civic IDEA, a Georgian NGO, issued a report in July 2025 detailing how Iranian businessmen and companies use Georgia as a strategic transit point to evade international sanctions and channel funds back to Iran. 

Nearly 13,000 Iranian companies are registered in Georgia, according to the Civic IDEA report.

Marika Mikiashvili, Foreign Secretary of party Droa, part of the largest democratic alliance in Georgia, spoke to Fox News Digital and said while Georgians are in awe and very inspired by the bravery of Iranians, their struggle is a warning sign as much as it is profoundly inspiring.

“Many protesters see Iran as a cautionary tale of what happens when a consolidating dictatorship isn’t defeated soon enough,” Mikiashvili warned.

There have also been no statements of support for the pro-democracy protests from the Georgian Dream government or condemnation of security force human rights violations against innocent people.

As the Georgian Dream government entrenched itself in power, it implemented harsh anti-demonstration laws to crack down on dissent and used disproportionate force and other brutal tactics to squash the unrest.

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Human Rights Watch documented numerous laws that interfered with Georgians’ rights to peacefully assemble, including steep fines for protest-related violations and abusive police tactics as thousands of people have been arbitrarily detained.

Since Georgian Dream’s election, 600 people have been arbitrarily detained, 300 protesters were tortured or subjected to inhumane treatment, 1,000 citizens received fines for political opinions, and 400 journalists have been arrested, beaten, and harassed, according to Transparency International Georgia, a non-governmental organization with the goal of combating corruption in Georgia.

Critics, including human rights workers and opposition groups, say the election is neither free nor fair.

Myanmar’s military-backed political party has extended its lead after the second round of voting, according to official figures from the country’s election body, and the country now heads into the final phase of its three-stage general election amid widespread conflict.

The latest data published on Friday indicates that the Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) is on track to win 182 seats from the combined first and second phases of voting, more than half of the seats in the country’s 330-member lower house.

According to figures reported by state broadcaster MRTV, citing the Union Election Commission, the USDP won a whopping 86 of 100 seats up for grabs in the second phase of voting held on Sunday. The third and final round of voting is scheduled for January 25.

Critics, including human rights and opposition groups, say the polls are neither free nor fair and are an effort by the military to legitimise its rule after seizing power from the elected government of Aung San Suu Kyi in February 2021.

The military takeover triggered widespread opposition that has grown into a civil war.

The election is being held in three phases due to armed conflicts in the country.

The first and second rounds took place in 202 of the country’s total 330 townships on December 28 and January 11. The final round will take place in more townships, but 65 others are not participating because of fighting in those areas.

Final results for all seats in both national and regional legislatures are expected to be announced by late January.

Major-General Zaw Min Tun, the military’s spokesperson, said last weekend that the two houses of parliament will be convened in March, with a new government taking up its duties in April.

During the first two rounds of voting, armed groups opposing the army carried out attacks against polling stations and government buildings in many townships, the military government said.

The election also comes as the International Court of Justice (ICJ) is currently holding hearings in a case brought by The Gambia, accusing Myanmar of committing genocide against its Rohingya community.

While more than 4,800 candidates from 57 political parties are competing for seats in national and regional legislatures, only six parties are contesting seats nationwide.

One of them, the People’s Pioneer Party, is facing a pending legal case that could result in its dissolution after its chairwoman, Thet Thet Khine, and another senior party member were scrutinised by authorities for holding a meeting with representatives of a foreign embassy in Yangon, the country’s largest city, without prior approval from the election commission.

A new Election Protection Law imposes harsh penalties for most public criticism of the polls, with the authorities charging more than 330 people recently for leafleting or online activity.