A heckler shouted, “Leave Greenland alone!” as the U.S. national anthem was being performed before an NBA game at London’s O2 Arena on Sunday.
As Vanessa Williams was wrapping up the Star-Spangled Banner, the heckler shouted the taunt, which prompted a mix of boos and applause from the crowd.
The incident comes amid President Trump’s push to acquire Greenland to prevent Russia or China from taking control of it and using its strategic location to threaten the United States and its European allies.
Trump’s quest to gain Greenland, officially a territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, has rubbed some the wrong way in both the U.S. and Europe. Those tensions were heightened on Friday when Trump proposed placing tariffs on eight European countries that oppose his plans to obtain Greenland.
“I may put a tariff on countries if they don’t go along with Greenland, because we need Greenland for national security,” Trump said.
Reactions to the heckling online were mixed.
“Such disrespect for the US anthem and pointless heckling, pure classless garbage,” one user wrote.
Some were less diplomatic, “F the UK,” wrote another.
“Never mind. They were conquered by Islam,” opined another.
Some thought the heckler did the right thing, “Common British W.”
The Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic were the two NBA teams selected to play the overseas game in London. The Grizzlies defeated the Magic, 126-109.