Danish petition to buy California gets over 200,000 signatures
By Zakir Jamal
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1/13/25 (LAPost.com) — President Donald Trump’s attempt to purchase the vast Danish territory of Greenland is unpopular with locals, to say the least. Instead, a petition named “Denmarkification” urges the Danish government to purchase California.
The petition’s website lists a number of reasons why Danes should support the initiative. It would provide the Northern European country with abundant sunlight and avocados, for instance, as well as access to Disneyland – which would be renamed “Hans Christian Andersenland”.
Denmarkification was created by Xåvier Dutoit, an activist identified by the campaign as its “Chief Pastry Officer.” He says that he aimed to show Americans how Trump’s campaign to annex Greenland appears from the Danish perspective.
“While on vacation, I was at a bar with some friends, and overheard a rather loud American tourist discussing Donald Trump’s bid to buy Greenland from Denmark,” Dutoit said.
“That American didn’t seem to grasp how unhinged and absurd it was for any country’s President — especially in a stable democracy that the USA claims to be — to offer or threaten to take over another sovereign country’s territory,” Dutoit continued. In an attempt to demonstrate this, Dutoit put together the petition’s website the following morning. The campaign was initially intended as an inside joke for its author’s friends. Yet, it quickly spread beyond its original audience.
“Many of my friends are amazing campaigners, and they did their magic: they spread the word, and the petition went viral and the media started to get involved,” Dutoit said.
In the days since, Denmarkification has been covered by the global media in multiple languages, and rapidly gained signatures. As of Feb. 13, over 240,000 people have signed.
The purchase that the campaign has gained across the world may be attributable to rising frustration with Trump’s aggressive style of foreign relations.
“Maybe it is because with all the insanity coming from the white house, people like to hear some tiny voices saying it’s not normal, that none of what is happening should in a democracy,” Dutoit said.
“That, or people like danish pastries and many of your readers are keen on learning how to say ‘rødgrød med fløde.’”
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Rebekah Ludman
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