Protesters rally in Denmark and Greenland against Trump annexation threat

COPENHAGEN/NUUK, Jan 17 (Reuters) - Protesters in Denmark and Greenland demonstrated on Saturday against President Donald Trump's demand that the Arctic island be ceded to the U.S. and called for it to be left to determine its own future.

Trump says Greenland is vital to U.S. security because of its strategic location and large mineral deposits, and has not ruled out using force to take it. European nations this week sent military personnel to the island at Denmark's request.

MARCHING FOR GREENLAND IN COPENHAGEN AND NUUK

In Copenhagen, demonstrators chanted "Greenland is not for sale" and held up slogans such as "No means No" and "Hands off Greenland" alongside the territory's red-and-white flag as they marched to the U.S. embassy.

Some wore red baseball caps resembling the "Make America Great Again" caps of Trump supporters, but with the slogan "Make America Go Away".

In Greenland's capital Nuuk, hundreds of protesters led by Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen carried flags and similar banners as they headed for the U.S. consulate.

They passed a newly built block where Washington plans to move its consulate - currently a red wooden building with four staff.

Organisers estimated over 20,000 people attended the protest in Copenhagen - akin to the entire population of Nuuk - though police did not provide an official figure. Other protests were held across Denmark.

"I am very grateful for the huge support we as Greenlanders receive ... we are also sending a message to the world that you all must wake up," said Julie Rademacher, chair of Uagut, an organisation for Greenlanders in Denmark.

TRUMP TRIGGERS DIPLOMATIC RIFT

Trump's repeated statements about the island have triggered a diplomatic crisis between the U.S. and Denmark, both founding members of the NATO military alliance, and have been widely condemned in Europe.

The territory of 57,000 people, governed for centuries from Copenhagen, has carved out significant autonomy since 1979 but remains part of Denmark, which controls defence and foreign policy, and funds much of the administration.

Some 17,000 Greenlanders live in Denmark, according to Danish authorities.

All five parties elected to Greenland's parliament ultimately favour independence, but they disagree on the timing and have recently said they would rather remain part of Denmark than join the U.S.

Only 17% of Americans approve of Trump's efforts to acquire Greenland, and large majorities of Democrats and Republicans oppose using military force to annex it, a Reuters/Ipsos poll found. Trump called the poll "fake".

(Reporting by Tom Little and Stine Jacobsen in Copenhagen and Jacob Gronholt-Pedersen in Nuuk; editing by Anna Ringstrom and Kevin Liffey)