Trump’s Greenland Gambit Raises Concerns Among Danish Minority in Germany
The United States President Donald Trump’s recent claims to Greenland have raised alarm among the South Schleswig Voters’ Association (SSW) in Germany.
Christian Dirschauer, chairman of the SSW, expressed unease over Trump’s intentions, emphasizing that "Greenland is not a commodity, but the homeland of an indigenous population with its own rights and a close connection to Denmark."
Dirschauer stressed that the people of Greenland had chosen autonomy within the Kingdom of Denmark, not a sale to the highest bidder. "The mere idea that one country can simply buy another territory is completely anachronistic and demonstrates an utterly outdated understanding of sovereignty," he stated.
Trump’s demands, according to Dirschauer, echo the era when great powers arbitrarily shifted territories at the negotiating table, disregarding the rights of local populations.
The SSW, recognized as a significant force in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, is exempt from the 5% electoral threshold in regional and federal elections. It previously held ministerial positions in the state government from 2012 to 2017.
To re-enter the Bundestag in 2021, the SSW aims to secure enough votes to qualify for a seat through its state list. Dirschauer expressed confidence in achieving this goal, estimating that approximately 40,000 second votes would suffice.
Prior to the 2021 election, only 60% of SSW members had supported participating in the federal election. However, opposition within the party has dwindled, with less than a handful of members remaining against it.
In the 2021 election, the SSW won 55,578 second votes, securing Stefan Seidler’s election to the Bundestag, marking the first SSW representation in the federal parliament in nearly 70 years. The party contests federal and state elections only in the northern part of Schleswig-Holstein, as well as in Kiel and Pinneberg, but can be voted for through its state list throughout the entire region.
Seidler’s work in the Bundestag has brought increased attention to the Danish minority and the SSW’s broader mission, according to Dirschauer. "In the past, many people were not familiar with the SSW," he noted, "but this is changing."
