WATCH: US national anthem heckled at NBA game in UK, crowd sends 3-WORD message for Trump

During an NBA game organised in London on Sunday (Jan 18), the national anthem of the United States was met with boos and heckles. Among the crowd at the stadium, a person shouted a phrase that seemed like a message for the US President Donald Trump - "Leave Greenland alone." This happened when the actress, Vanessa Williams, started singing the anthem on the stage. In a video posted on the social media platform X, Williams was heard performing the US national anthem when a person from the audience exclaims, “Leave Greenland alone." In response, the crowd sent a loud cheer.

‘Never seen any national anthem treated like this’

The video was shared by a lawyer, Chris Daw, who wrote on X, "The mood of the British crowd at the O2 last night was very clear. Cries of ‘Leave Greenland Alone!’ were met with loud cheers during the US national anthem. And there were jeers of irony at the line, 'land of the free.' I have never seen any national anthem treated like this - feelings are running high in Britain about Trump's attempt to appoint himself King of the World."

A security threat?

This whole incident came after Trump delivered a new warning regarding Greenland, stating that “now is the time” to eliminate the “Russian threat." Taking to Truth Social on Sunday, the American president wrote, "NATO has been telling Denmark, for 20 years, that ‘you have to get the Russian threat away from Greenland.’ Unfortunately, Denmark has been unable to take action. Now it is time, and it will be done!!! President Donald J. Trump.”

On January 11, while speaking to reporters, Trump said, “In the meantime, you have Russian destroyers and submarines, and China destroyers and submarines all over the place. We’re not going to let that happen.” Trump said this in support of his claim that America needs to acquire Greenland as the region poses a national security threat to the US due to pressure from Russia and China.

Meanwhile, Major General Søren Andersen, the commander of Denmark’s Joint Arctic Command in Greenland, has countered this narrative. He said, “No. We don’t see a threat from China or Russia today. But we look into a potential threat, and that is what we are training for.”