Jan 7, 2026, 9:41 a.mJan 7, 2026, 9:41 a.m
The Icelandic singer Björk has called on the residents of Greenland to declare their independence.
According to the New York news magazine Time, Björk was one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.Image: www.imago-images.de
“I wish all Greenlanders blessings in their fight for independence,” wrote the influential musician, whose albums have sold millions of copies, in a post on Instagram. She also posted a picture with the outline of Greenland in the colors of the country’s flag.
The island of Greenland is now largely autonomous, but still belongs to the Danish kingdom. US President Donald Trump first expressed ownership of Greenland in 2019.
Björk continued: “Colonialism always sends icy shivers down my spine, and the thought that my Greenlandic compatriots could pass from one cruel colonial master to the next is too terrible to even think about.” And: “Dear Greenlanders, declare your independence!”
Iceland, the singer’s home country, has been independent from Denmark since 1944. According to the New York news magazine Time, Björk was one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2015.
Reactions with heart emojis, but also criticism
Her fans commented on the post with heart emojis. One user wrote: “Declare independence! Don’t put up with this!” But there are also users who accuse the singer of expressing her support at the wrong time and thus playing into the hands of the USA. Some consider independence to be the wrong step: “Greenland must be protected by the EU and NATO,” it says, among other things.
Greenland was a colony of Denmark until 1953, but since 1979 it has received increasingly greater self-government rights and is now largely autonomous. Denmark continues to decide on areas such as foreign and defense policy – thanks to its ties to the kingdom, Greenland is also part of NATO. A large proportion of the approximately 57,000 Greenlanders want complete independence from Denmark.
The US government had recently increased its threats regarding ownership of the Arctic island and was sending contradictory signals: The White House expressly did not rule out military intervention, while Secretary of State Marco Rubio reportedly spoke of purchasing the autonomous Arctic island. (sda/dpa)