‘Leave Greenland alone!’ U.S. anthem heckler at NBA London game draws cheers
Global News
The heckler interrupted actor Vanessa Williams as she performed 'The Star-Spangled Banner' just before tipoff at the game between the Memphis Grizzlies and Orlando Magic.
An unidentified heckler interrupted actor Vanessa Williams as she performed the U.S. national anthem before Sunday’s NBA game in London between the Orlando Magic and Memphis Grizzlies, shouting, “Leave Greenland alone!”
Williams sang The Star-Spangled Banner just before tipoff at the game at the O2 Arena and as she neared the end of the song, the heckler’s interruption was met with some applause from the crowd.
Williams was unfazed by the outburst and completed the song.
Frustrated sports fans in arenas across Canada have occasionally booed loudly while the U.S. national anthem is played at NHL and NBA games in the past few years — even during a WWE Elimination Chamber event in Toronto in March — in response to U.S. President Donald Trump’s imposed tariffs on the country and his comments about making Canada the “51st state.”
Trump himself received a mixed reaction from the crowd at Yankee Stadium in New York in September. During the U.S. national anthem, Trump was shown on the stadium Jumbotron and received a mix of boos and cheers from the crowd.
Trump has insisted that the U.S. should control Greenland, a semiautonomous territory of NATO ally Denmark, and said last week that anything less than the Arctic island being in U.S. hands would be “unacceptable.”
During an unrelated event at the White House about rural health care, he recounted Friday how he had threatened European allies with tariffs on pharmaceuticals.
The U.S. was joined by Iranian dissidents in rebuking the government’s bloody crackdown on nationwide protests that activists say has killed at least 2,600 people.
Venezuela's acting president Delcy Rodríguez, who has been under pressure from the U.S. to fall in line, said oil sales revenue would go to bolster domestic services.
Canada's strained relationship with Iran goes back more than a decade, when a Conservative government under former prime minister Stephen Harper cut diplomatic ties with Tehran.
Billy Long's reported comment came amid Trump's rhetoric about a U.S. takeover of Iceland's neighbour Greenland, as well as his past quips about making Canada the '51st state.'
Denmark's prime minister says the country is standing firm in its commitment to 'prevent' a threatened U.S. takeover of Greenland after a meeting with American leaders.
It was an unexpected finish to a mission that began in August and left the orbiting International Space Station with only one American and two Russians on board.
Troops from several European countries are arriving in Greenland in a show of support for Denmark following an unsuccessful meeting with the United States.
Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado’s meeting at the White House comes less than three weeks after Maduro was seized by U.S. forces.
Greenland is an autonomous territory of the Kingdom of Denmark, which is a member of the U.S.-led NATO. Last week, Trump hinted at potential action.
The mission, which comes at the request of Denmark, aims to explore possible military contributions to bolster the security of the region, a German defence ministry statement said.
The U.S. State Department said the move would apply to countries whose nationals are deemed likely to require public assistance while living in the United States.
The United States said it was withdrawing some personnel from key bases in the Middle East as a precaution given heightened regional tensions.
A new poll suggests almost a third of Canadians say the United States might attempt "direct action" to take control of Canada, with a fifth of Americans agreeing.