‘What a Greenland!’ American anthem singer at NBA game in London draws crowd – National
An unknown assailant interrupted actress Vanessa Williams as she sang the US national anthem before Sunday’s NBA game in London between the Orlando Magic and the Memphis Grizzlies, shouting, “Leave Greenland!”
Williams sang The Star-Spangled Banner just before the game started at the O2 Arena and as he neared the end of the song, the heckler’s interruption was met with some applause from the crowd.
Williams didn’t worry about his outburst and finished the song.
Frustrated sports fans in arenas across Canada have erupted during the playing of the US national anthem at NHL and NBA games in the past few years – and even at the WWE Elimination Chamber meeting in Toronto in March – in response to US President Donald Trump’s tariffs on the country and his comments about making Canada the “51st country.”
Trump himself received a mixed reaction from the crowd at Yankee Stadium in New York in September. During the singing of the American national anthem, Trump it was shown at the Jumbotron stadium and got a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd.
Trump has insisted that the US should control Greenland, a territory of NATO ally Denmark, and last week said anything less than the Arctic island in US hands “will not be acceptable.”
During an unrelated event at the White House on rural health care, he recounted Friday how he threatened European allies with a drug tax.
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“I can do that for Greenland too,” Trump said. “I might impose taxes on countries if they don’t agree with Greenland, because we need Greenland to protect the country. So I can do that.”
The foreign ministers of Denmark and Greenland met in Washington on Jan. 14 with US Vice President JD Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.
That meeting did not resolve deep disagreements, but it did produce an agreement to establish a working group — which Denmark and the White House purposely offered very different public views.
European leaders have stressed that it is up to Denmark and Greenland alone to decide on territorial issues, and Denmark has said it is increasing its military presence in Greenland in cooperation with allies.
When asked during an interview with The Atlantic that the actions of the US military in Venezuela could reveal Greenland, Trump replied: “They will have to see for themselves. I really don’t know.”
“We need Greenland, absolutely. We need it for our own defense,” Trump added.
Katie Miller, the wife of White House deputy chief of staff Stephen Miller, posted a photo on X of an area covered in an American flag, writing, “COMING SOON.”
Greenland’s leader said “enough is enough” after Trump renewed his threats to take over the island.
“Threats, pressure, and talk of extradition have no place among friends,” Greenland Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said on Facebook on Jan. 4. “It’s not the way you talk to people who have repeatedly shown responsibility, stability and honesty.
“Enough is enough. No more pressure. No more plans. No more dreams about integration.”
Nielsen said Greenland is “open to discussions” and “open to negotiations.”
He also addressed the photo Miller shared on social media, writing, “First of all, let me say calmly and clearly, that there is no reason to panic or be insecure.
“The photo shared by Katie Miller from Greenland is produced wrapped in an American flag and does not change anything. Our country is not for sale and our future is not decided by social media posts,” he wrote.
“But this image is not respectful, the relationship between countries and people is based on respect and international law and not on images that ignore our situation and our rights.
There is no need to panic, but there is good reason to speak out against disrespect.”
Trump has repeatedly called for US sovereignty over Greenland, and has yet to deploy the military to control the mineral-rich island, located in the unfriendly Arctic.
In December 2025, Trump said that the US is not interested in Greenland for its mineral wealth.
“We have a lot of mineral deposits and oil and everything. We have more oil than any other country in the world,” Trump said. “We’ll have to fix everything.”
Trump first expressed his interest in Greenland in 2019 during his first term in office. He said Greenland was “damaging Denmark a lot” and costing US$700 million a year. His solution was for the United States to buy Greenland, calling it a “big real estate deal.”
– Via files from the Associated Press
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