A member of the crowd at the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic NBA game in London heckled Vanessa Williams as she performed the Star-Spangled Banner, shouting, “Leave Greenland alone.”
A video of the interruption was widely circulated on social media sites on Sunday night.
President Trump’s renewed interest in acquiring Greenland hit a new point last week as he threatened a 25% tariff on multiple European countries, including the United Kingdom, if the U.S. isn’t allowed to purchase Greenland. Trump said in a Truth Social post this week that the tariff would begin on February 1.
“This Tariff will be due and payable until such time as a Deal is reached for the Complete and Total purchase of Greenland,” Trump posted. “The United States has been trying to do this transaction for over 150 years.”
UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer has pushed back, posting a statement about Greenland X this weekend on X.
“Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes,” Starmer posted.
“We have also made clear that Arctic Security matters for the whole of NATO and allies should all do more together to address the threat from Russia across different parts of the Arctic. Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of NATO allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.”
