DW: Hundreds of Greenlanders protest Trump's plans to annex the island and make it part of the US

Hundreds of Greenlanders took to the streets on Saturday to protest U.S. President Donald Trump's stated goal of taking control of their island.

Video footage showed crowds gathered in the capital, Nuuk, waving the Greenland flag and holding signs with messages such as "Respect Greenland's sovereignty," "We are not for sale" and "Make America leave" - a play with Trump's campaign slogan "Make America Great Again."

The rally was also taking place in other cities on the island.

Jens-Frederik Nielsen, leader of the centre-right Democrat party that won this week's parliamentary elections, joined outgoing Prime Minister Mute B. Egede to lead protesters to the US consulate on the outskirts of Nuuk.

"We want to be ourselves and our autonomy and freedom will never be put into debate," Nielsen told the Danish Broadcasting Corporation during the rally.

"There is no smaller chance that I will talk to Trump that Greenland will become part of the UNITED STATES. Greenland will be Greenland," he said.

Speaking to greenlandic newspaper Sermitsiaq on Saturday, Egede called the U.S. president's approach "completely unacceptable."

What has Trump said about Greenland?

Over the past few months, Trump has repeatedly expressed his interest in taking control of Greenland . The U.S. president raised the idea again Thursday during a meeting with NATO chief Mark Rutte at the White House.

When asked by a reporter about a possible annexation, Trump said, "I think it's going to happen." He went on to say that the territory was fundamental to U.S. national security, emphasizing that the U.S. already has military bases there.

What was Greenland's response?

Lawmakers in Greenland have strongly opposed Trump's plans to make the island part of the U.S.

On Friday, the leaders of five parties in Greenland's parliament issued a joint statement rejecting Trump's comments.

"We - all party chairs - cannot accept repeated statements for annexation and control of Greenland," they said. We, as party leaders, consider this behavior unacceptable to friends and allies in a defensive alliance.