Dozens rally in Iqaluit for Greenland as Trump renews threats to control island

By Canadian Press on January 17, 2026.

IQALUIT — Dozens of people rallied in Nunavut’s capital today in solidarity with Inuit people in Greenland who are concerned about U.S. President Donald Trump’s renewed threats to take control of the island

Aaju Peter, the lawyer and activist who organized the morning rally in Iqaluit, says rally goers chanted “Greenland is owned by the Greenlandic people” in Inuktut as they marched for an hour in cold and windy weather.

Peter, who is 66 years old, says she was born in Greenland and has relatives there who are extremely concerned about Trump’s threats to take over the island.

She says similar to Nunavut, Greenland is primarily inhabited by Inuit and other Nordic Indigenous peoples but the island is under Danish sovereignty.

Laakkuluk Williamson, a filmmaker, says she attended the morning rally because Inuit people in Nunavut and Greenland are divided by colonial borders but they share the same culture and stick together in solidarity.

Trump renewed his calls to control Greenland today and has announced he will charge a 10 per cent import tax starting next month on goods from eight European nations because of their opposition to an American takeover.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 17, 2026.

The Canadian Press