Demonstrators hold signs and wave flags during a protest outside the U.S. consulate in Nuuk, Greenland, Friday. The new diplomatic building officially opened earlier in the day amid tensions over American interests in Greenland. Photo by Oscar Scott Carl/EPA
May 22 (UPI) -- A new American consulate opened in Nuuk, Greenland, Friday, and hundreds of Greenlanders showed up to protest it.
There has been a small consulate in the country since 2020, but the new one is 30,000 square feet and is on one of Nuuk's busiest roads.
The consulate hosted an opening event with visitors and red, white and blue decorations inside. Ambassador to Denmark Kenneth Howery unveiled a new plaque and said he looked forward to a closer partnership with the semi-autonomous country, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark.
"The Arctic is clearly a region of global importance," the BBC reported Howery said. "We will always be neighbors and be with you into whatever future you choose as allies and partners."
