Statement from Mayor Avaaraq Olsen:
Greenland and Kommuneqarfik Sermersooq are currently under intense international attention during a time of genuine anxiety and uncertainty for our population. In this situation, your choices, your jokes, and your methods are not harmless. They have consequences. Real consequences, for real people.
We have recently seen examples of visitors staging provocative stunts in public, using political symbols for shock value, and others approaching children with questions about war, violence, and invasion. This is not satire. It is not meaningful journalism. It is reckless behavior carried out in a community that is already under psychological pressure.
Many of our citizens are worried. Some are afraid. Children, especially, are struggling to understand the situation they are hearing about at home, online, and in the streets. Families are dealing with anxiety, sleeplessness, and a constant sense of unease. When you amplify those fears for content, clicks, or laughs, you are not being bold or creative. You are adding to the distress of an already vulnerable population.
Children must never be treated as props. Approaching minors without parental consent, filming them, or asking them about soldiers, death, or losing their homes is unacceptable. It is harmful, and it is deeply irresponsible.
Raising a flag at our capital cultural center, the flag of the military superpower that for weeks has been implying military force against our country, is not a joke. It is not funny. It is immensely harmful.
You are guests here. With that comes responsibility. Cultural differences in humor do not excuse behavior that frightens people or undermines their sense of safety. Intent does not outweigh impact.
Our government and municipal services are working together every day to reduce stress and support residents during a difficult period. A handful of visiting personalities looking for viral moments should not be allowed to undo that work. You need to understand the immense harm you are casually doing to the people here.
So, pause before you film. Think before you stage something “funny.” Consider whether your next question or stunt will inform the world, or simply make a child cry or a family feel less safe in their own country.
We welcome respectful visitors and responsible journalism. We will not accept behavior that harms our community.