This year, 2026, was supposed to be the first time Greenland took part in the prestigious global competition Wacken Metal Battle, organised under the banner of Wacken Open Air – the world’s largest metal festival. That is not how it turned out.
In recent times, Donald Trump and the United States have been rattling both their money bag and their sabres in an attempt to take over Greenland, which is part of the Kingdom of Denmark. It sounds extremely bizarre in 2026 that one country wants to buy another country, and even worse, to take it by force despite the fact that the countries involved are allies. It has only grown worse as both Greenland and Denmark have made it absolutely clear that this is out of the question. Trump nevertheless insists that he must have Greenland for security reasons against Russia and China. This is despite the fact that the United States can have as many military bases there as it wants under the NATO treaty. Greenland, Denmark and the rest of the EU are now most worried about how they are going to defend Greenland against the United States.
Naturally, this has put Greenland on a crisis footing and has led to large demonstrations. The so-called Greenland crisis has triggered mass “Hands off Greenland” protests in Greenland and Denmark, sharpened tensions inside NATO and opened a wider US–EU trade confrontation. As a result, the organisers of Wacken Metal Battle have decided to cancel Greenland’s participation this year and focus on what they consider most important right now.
In a statement from Wacken Metal Battle, the organisers write:
“Last year, we were excited to announce the participation of Wacken Metal Battle Greenland for the very first time.
Unfortunately, due to the current circumstances, our partners in Greenland have requested to take a pause and given us the following statement:
“What is happening right now is taking a severe toll on the small population. People are stressed, anxious, and in many cases deeply concerned about what the coming period may bring. This situation affects both Greenland and Denmark, especially those with friends and loved ones in Greenland. Under these circumstances, it has become impossible to host what was meant to be a fun, high energy, and celebratory battle in its inaugural year. Simply put, the situation is overwhelming.”
We fully respect this decision and stand firmly with our metal brotherhood in Denmark and Greenland. Our thoughts are with everyone affected, and we would be truly honoured to welcome Greenland back into the Holy Ground whenever the time feels right and they are ready.
For this year, the Indian Subcontinent will take the available spot.
Metal is about unity, solidarity, and standing together, especially in difficult times.”
The threats appear to be very real, and in a message to Norway’s prime minister Jonas Gahr Støre on Monday 19 January 2026, Trump writes:
“Dear Jonas, since your country decided not to give me the Nobel Peace Prize for stopping 8 wars PLUS, I no longer feel an obligation to think exclusively about peace – even though it will always be dominant – and can now think about what is good and right for the United States. Denmark cannot protect this country against Russia or China, and why do they have any ‘ownership rights’ anyway? There are no written documents, it is just that a boat landed there hundreds of years ago – but we also had boats that landed there. I have done more for NATO than anyone else since its founding, and now NATO should do something for the United States. The world is not safe unless we have complete and total control over Greenland. Thanks! President DJT.”
This comes despite Støre repeatedly explaining that the Norwegian government has nothing to do with the awarding of the Peace Prize. Nor is it possible to pressure your way to the prize in the first place, as that would run completely counter to the whole point of the Peace Prize.
Leaders in both Denmark and Greenland have stressed that Greenland is not for sale and that they do not wish to become part of the United States. Several NATO allies have backed this position.
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