Heckler yells ‘leave Greenland alone’ during US national anthem at London NBA game
A heckler shouted, ‘Leave Greenland alone!’ during the US national anthem at an NBA game in London yesterday.
Actor Vanessa Williams was midway through her rendition of the Star-Spangled Banner at the O2 Arena when she was interrupted.
After the man shouted, video footage shows him drawing claps, cheers and whistles from some of the 18,000-strong crowd.
Williams completed the anthem without stopping, with the night ending in the Memphis Grizzlies’ 126-109 victory over the Orlando Magic.
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The heckler wasn’t alone over the weekend – thousands of Greenlanders said the same chant to protest Donald Trump’s bid to claim their island.
The US president gave Europe an ultimatum over the weekend: If they don’t let him buy Greenland, he’ll impose a 25% tariff on the continent.
The punishing tariffs – taxes imposed by one country on another nation’s imports – would impact the UK, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, Finland and the Netherlands.
Trump has previously said that, on top of writing a cheque to buy Greenland, military force is in the cards.
European leaders have refused to be bullied by the Republican leader to let him annexe the Danish territory in the North Atlantic.
At a press conference today, Sir Keir Starmer said that while the US and UK are ‘close allies’, Britain ‘stands with’ Denmark and Greenland.
The future of the sparsely populated island ‘belongs to the people of Greenland and the Kingdom of Denmark alone’.
Trump said in a post on his Truth Social network that Washington needs to control Greenland to halt Chinese and Russian ambitions in the Arctic.
Controlling Greenland would give Washington an outpost in a vital naval corridor connecting the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic.
US Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent echoed this on NBC yesterday, insisting that US control of Greenland would be ‘best for Greenland, best for Europe and best for the United States’.
Why does Donald Trump want Greenland?
Trump has never been shy about his desire to claim Greenland for his own, claiming the island is vital for American national security.
Greenland sits in the Arctic Circle, where world powers have for years been jostling for military control – the US has a missile defence base on it.
By seizing the island, Washington says it would have an outpost between the Atlantic Ocean and the Arctic.
As climate change melts the Arctic icecaps, the once nearly impossible-to-navigate ocean is becoming more alluring.
The country also has large amounts of rare minerals used to make essentials like batteries, phones and vehicles. It may also have pools of oil and gas, though scientists warn it’s too risky to dig for them.
Officials in Europe are expected to meet this week to discuss Greenland’s future, with reports saying countries could hit back at Trump with retaliatory punishing tariffs of their own.
While Trump toys with Greenland’s fate, fewer than one in five Americans support Trump’s plans, according to a Reuters poll.
Even Republicans aren’t in favour, with just four in 10 backing the president.
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