COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) 鈥� A lawmaker representing Greenland in Denmark鈥檚 Parliament was asked to leave the podium of the assembly after she refused to translate her speech delivered in Greenlandic 鈥� the Inuit language of the sparsely populated Arctic island 鈥� into Danish, highlighting strained relations within the Danish Realm.
Aki-Matilda H酶gh-Dam, from the social democratic Siumut party, is at the center of a debate about whether lawmakers from Greenland and the Faeroe Islands can speak in their own tongues before the Danish Parliament. The two semi-independent territories each hold two seats in the Folketing in Copenhagen.
During a traditional debate day Thursday, where parties鈥� political affairs spokespeople explain their party鈥檚 line, H酶gh-Dam gave an eight-minute speech in Greenlandic. She had beforehand distributed a translation of her speech to the members of the assembly.
When she had finished, Parliament Speaker S酶ren Gade asked her if H酶gh-Dam she was going to repeat it in Danish, to which she said no.
Gade told her that 鈥渙ne cannot debate a speech ... if the speech is not also delivered in Danish鈥� and asked her to step down. He added that H酶gh-Dam, who is fluent in Danish, had been informed last year that Greenlandic and Faeroese lawmakers can speak in their local tongues if they themselves translate it into Danish immediately afterward. H酶gh-Dam said she had no intention of doing that.
Danish, which is taught in Greenland's schools, is the language in the Copenhagen assembly. H酶gh-Dam demands simultaneous interpretation. Gade has said that the Folketing is not geared for that but Greenlandic and Faeroese lawmakers can get extra funds to hire translators.
The other Greenland lawmaker in Denmark 鈥� Aaja Chemnitz of the left-leaning Inuit Ataqatigiit 鈥� spoke in Danish Thursday evening. Later, her party said it backed H酶gh-Dam's stance.
was a colony under Denmark鈥檚 crown until 1953, when it became a province in the Scandinavian country. In 1979, the island was granted home rule, and 30 years later Greenland became a self-governing entity. But Denmark retains control over justice, foreign and defense affairs. However, relations have been tense between the two. including because of revelations of misconduct by Danish authorities in Greenland during the 20th century.
A movement for the vast island鈥檚 independence has intensified over the past two decades. Greenland, which has a population of some 57,000 and whose main export is fish, still relies heavily on Denmark for annual financial support, which is budgeted to be 4 billion kroner (nearly $600 million) in 2024.
Jan M. Olsen, The Associated Press
