Paul Watson – Tanguy Sandré

1 January 202518 January 2025

Accusations of Genocide, Trump’s Idea of US “Ownership and Control”, Kalaaleq Passport… December’s Wrap-Up

Against a backdrop of protests against the forced abduction of kalaallit children in Denmark, Kalaallit Nunaat’s Prime Minister Múte B. Egede described the campaign to sterilize kalaallit women and girls in the 1960-70s as “genocide for which Denmark should apologize” (DR, December 12). For the president of the Inuit Circumpolar Council, Sara Olsvig, “the individual human rights of girls and women have undoubtedly been violated”, and Denmark must finally take responsibility for its colonial behavior (Altinget, December 17). In a press release, Naleraq president Pele Broberg demanded that the government follow up its accusations with concrete legal measures (Sermitsiaq, December 22). While Donald Trump again raised the idea of US “ownership and control” of Kalaallit Nunaat (DR, December 23), Danish Defense Minister Troels Lund Poulsen announced new defense investments in the Arctic: two new Thetis-class inspection ships, two new long-range drones, two new sled teams for the Sirius patrol and more personnel at Arctic Command (DR, December 24). In Kalaallit Nunaat, Donald Trump’s announcement of the appointment of a new US ambassador to Denmark (Altinget, December 23) provoked strong reactions; for MP Aki-Matilda Høegh-Dam, who represents the kalaaleq party Siumut in the Danish Parliament, “Kalaallit Nunaat is not a commodity or a geostrategic trophy”; “Kalaallit Nunaat is ours. We are not for sale and never will be,” reaffirmed kalaaleq Prime Minister Múte B. Egede (Sermitsiaq, December 23). That said, against the backdrop of a highly deteriorated relationship between Denmark and Kalaallit Nunaat, the kalaaleq Prime Minister also intends to pave the way for further cooperation beyond Denmark, in particular with the USA: “Our foreign policy strategy also means that we cooperate more with our neighbors, because Kalaallit Nunaat must become an independent country”, he said (DR, December 13). Following the intensification of kalaaleq protest in recent months, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that the kalaaleq government would now be responsible for appointing the Arctic ambassador (DR, December 20). Kalaaleq’s Minister of Self-Government and Foreign Affairs, Vivian Motzfeldt, will assume the chairmanship of the Arctic Council on behalf of the Kingdom of Denmark at the political level (Sermitsiaq, December 20). In addition, Kalaallit passports can now show Kalaaleq nationality, not just Danish, which is above all “a powerful symbol of our language, culture and history” for Kuno Fencker, MP for the Siumut party (Altinget, December 16). Finally, after several months in pre-trial detention in Nuuk, the Ministry of Justice decided not to grant Japan’s request for Paul Watson’s extradition, and to release him (Sermitsiaq, December 20).

Photo: IA Generated

1 December 202418 January 2025

Discriminatory Parenting Test, Translation at the Folketing, Inauguration of Nuuk Airport… November’s Wrap-Up

In Kalaallit Nunaat, tensions and demonstrations of support for Keira Alexandra Kronvold, a woman of kalaaleq origin, increased as her child was forcibly taken away by social services within hours of giving birth in Thisted, Denmark. The Danish Parenting Assessment Test (FKU), one of the psychometric tests widely used in Denmark to assess parenting skills, has been heavily criticized for reproducing racist discrimination. An extract from Keira Alexandra Kronvold’s file bears witness to this: “her origin would make it difficult for her to prepare the child for the social expectations and codes necessary in Danish society”. This is just one of many cases, since according to a 2022 report, children of kalaaleq origin living in Denmark are six times more likely to be placed in care than those of Danish origin (Sermitsiaq, November 20; The Guardian, November 25; DR, November 12). At the Folketing, the Danish parliament, the simultaneous translation hitherto rejected by the Speaker, Søren Gade, was tested for the first time during questions to the Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, who described the day as historic (Sermitsiaq, November 26; DR, November 26). Another “historic moment” for former Prime Minister Kim Kielsen was the inauguration of Nuuk International Airport, which now provides a direct link between Nuuk and Copenhagen, bypassing Kangerlussuaq (Sermitsiaq, November 28). At the end of November, Danish Defence Minister Troels Lund Poulsen visited Nuuk to meet Foreign Minister Vivian Motzfeldt to discuss the defence agreement and reaffirm a joint commitment to close cooperation on Arctic defence issues, with two priorities: to ensure that the Arctic remains a low-voltage zone, and to guarantee the participation of local businesses and the local population in the development of defence installations (Sermitsiaq, November 23; Eye on the Arctic, November 23). And while Kalaallit Nunaat has already decided to boycott the Nordic Council, the Faroe Islands have also threatened to leave the regional governance body. The Swedish presidency has not invited Kalaallit Nunaat and the Faroe Islands to a number of meetings, seeing this as a breach of equality between Council members, while an update of the treaties is called for so that Kalaallit Nunaat, the Faroe Islands and Åland join the Council as independent members (High North News, November 6). Finally, Paul Watson’s pre-trial detention has once again been renewed until December 18, pending a Danish response as to whether or not he should be extradited to Japan (Sermitsiaq, December 2).

Photo: Keira Alexandra Kronvold and her baby, who has been removed from her by the local municipality. Photograph: supplied (The Guardian).

1 November 202418 January 2025

Paul Watson’s Detention, Flights between Iqaluit-Nuuk and within the Arctic… October’s Wrap-Up

On October 23, the Kalaaleq Court decided to extend the detention of activist Paul Watson until November 13, pending the Danish government’s decision on Japan’s extradition request (AFP, October 24). The direct flights between Iqaluit and Nuuk, launched for the second year by Air Greenland after more than ten years, are a success. According to the figures, 70% of seats were occupied on this 37-seat weekly flight between June 26 and October 23 (Eye on the Arctic, October 24). An agreement has also been signed between Air Greenland and Icelandair at Arctic Circle to improve connections between Kalaallit Nunaat, Canada and the Faroe Islands. The agreement will come into effect next summer, and will enable passengers to book flights with both airlines on a single ticket. Keflavik airport in Iceland will be the departure point for these flights, linking Kalaallit Nunaat to Icelandair’s network of North American routes (Eye on the Arctic, October 23).

Author: Magali Vuillerme (translation). Photo: Associated Press/Louise Delmotte.

1 September 202418 January 2025

Paul Watson’s Arrest, Arctic Command Rescue, Paris Agreement, Critical Mineral… Summer’s Wrap-Up

The arrest of whale conservation activist Paul Watson on July 21 in Nuuk, following an international arrest warrant charging him with obstructing activities and causing injury and property damage to a Japanese whaling vessel in 2010, has attracted international attention (Eye on the Arctic, August 15). While his request for release has been rejected and he will remain in kalaallit jails until at least September 5, 2024, the activist could be extradited to Japan if the Danish Ministry of Justice, which has retained its prerogatives despite Kalaallit Nunaat’s increased autonomy, so decides (Sermitsiaq, August 20). In Kalaallit Nunaat, Paul Watson remains associated with pressure on Inuit hunters and Inuit ways of life (Mediapart, July 23). At the end of July, Arctic Command rescued the pilots whose plane had crashed into the open ocean near Qaqortoq, in southern Kalaallit Nunaat (Sermitsiaq, July 29). Search and rescue capabilities are becoming an increasingly important issue as commercial and tourist activity intensifies in the region (High North News, August 1). On the climate front, “the Paris Agreement is not just a symbolic act”, said UN Climate Secretary Simon Stiell, commenting on Kalaallit Nunaat’s accession to the Paris Agreement at a time when temperatures in the Arctic are rising four times faster than in the rest of the world. The Minister for Agriculture, Self-Sufficiency, Energy and the Environment, Kalistat Lund, has indicated that he will develop a climate strategy following local consultation throughout the country (Sermitsiaq, July 3). At UN level, the President of the Inuit Circumpolar Council (ICC), Sara Olsvig, has been appointed to the Expert Group on Rare Minerals for Energy Transition, to ensure that the recommendations made by the working group are in line with the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples. Its presence is all the more important given that 54% of critical mineral deposits known to date are located on or near the territories of indigenous peoples (Sermitsiaq, July 14). In the kalaaleq parliament, Inatsisartut, the president of Naleraq’s party, Pele Broberg, known for his pro-independence stance, is going to propose a change to the rules of procedure so that the only language used will be Greenlandic, raising questions of national belonging for many Greenlanders who are not fluent in Kalaallisut, the national language (Sermitsiaq, August 6; Altinget, August 19). On the other hand, academic work to clearly establish the facts about the sterilization of Greenlandic girls and women from the 1960s onwards is currently being held up by the rejection of access to public health archives (Sermitsiaq, July 23; Sermitsiaq, July 25). Due to disputes with the Swedish presidency over the country’s secondary position, the President of the Greenland National Executive, Múte B. Egede, will not be taking part in the conference. Egede will not be taking part in the Nordic Council’s work or in the annual session in Reykjavik this autumn (Altinget, August 21). This summer, several towns were visited by polar bears, resulting in several preventive culls, notably in Ittoqqortoormiit, on the east coast. A researcher from a German research team on Traill Island, near Mestersvig in eastern Greenland, was attacked by a polar bear (Sermitsiaq, July 30). Finally, the US Secretary of the Navy, Carlos Del Toro, recently met with the Danish Ministry of Defense and military leaders in Copenhagen, as well as exchanging views with Faroese Foreign Minister Høgni Hoydal, to discuss the Russian threat and opportunities for increased cooperation in the Arctic and North Atlantic. The Faroe Islands, which will shortly be opening an office in Washington, is committed in its Arctic strategy to enhanced cooperation with other allies in the Arctic and wider North Atlantic to actively contribute to the preservation of security and stability (High North News, August 19).