US Anthem Interrupted: Crowd Cheers 'Leave Greenland Alone!' at NBA London Game

Mounting tensions between Europe and the United States moved into the sporting arena on Sunday when a member of the crowd shouted “Leave Greenland alone” as the US national anthem was sung during an NBA game in London. Actor Vanessa Williams was performing the Star-Spangled Banner before the Memphis Grizzlies faced the Orlando Magic at the O2 Arena when she was interrupted by the heckle. The intervention drew a round of applause and cheers from sections of the crowd. This week Donald Trump threatened a 25% tariff on a slew of European countries, including the UK, unless the US is allowed to buy Greenland. On Saturday, Trump said he would place a 10% tariff on Denmark, Norway, Sweden, France, Germany, the UK, the Netherlands and Finland beginning on 1 February unless his demands are met. He added the tariff will increase to 25% on 1 June. European leaders have pushed back on Trump’s demands. “Our position on Greenland is very clear – it is part of the Kingdom of Denmark and its future is a matter for the Greenlanders and the Danes,” the UK prime minister, Keir Starmer, said. “Applying tariffs on allies for pursuing the collective security of Nato allies is completely wrong. We will of course be pursuing this directly with the US administration.” Sunday’s heckle was not the first time sports fans have shown their displeasure with Trump’s foreign policy. Canadian fans have booed the Star-Spangled Banner at basketball and ice hockey games in the last year, after Trump threatened to make his neighbor a “51st state” and raised tariffs on Canadian goods.