Jens-Frederik Nielsen Rejects $200,000 Groenland Petition Bid
Groenland's Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said the island is not for sale after reports of an alleged attempt to pay for signatures on a petition to join the United States. The statement followed claims that a taxi driver was offered $200,000 for one signature, then told all Greenlanders would receive the same amount if the island became part of the United States.
Jens-Frederik Nielsen on Facebook
Nielsen wrote on Facebook that the situation was deeply disturbing and indecent. He said, “This is not how you treat a people.” He also wrote, “Our future is not decided in a taxi,” and added, “And it cannot be bought with money.”
He said decisions about Greenland's future can only be made by its inhabitants. That line turned a street-level encounter into a political issue about who can speak for Greenland and who cannot.
Danny Brandt and the $200,000 offer
Danny Brandt said KNR media reported that an elderly man with a strong American accent allegedly offered him $200,000 to sign a petition for Greenland to become part of the United States. Brandt said the man showed papers with the petition and, after being refused, promised that all Greenlanders would receive $200,000 if Greenland became part of the United States.
Police in Greenland said they had received a statement about the case. The US Embassy said the man allegedly collecting signatures does not represent the American government.
Greenland's public response
After the story became public, Greenlanders wrote in the comments that they too had received an offer to sign a petition for money. The reaction extended the allegation beyond one taxi ride and left the prime minister responding to a wider set of complaints from residents.
For Greenlanders who saw the posts, the practical issue is not only the alleged offer itself but the fact that police now have a statement on the case while the US Embassy has distanced the man from the American government. The next development in the story depends on how Greenland authorities handle the report and whether more residents formally come forward.
