Hundreds of Danish veterans held a silent protest outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen to voice anger at Trump administration comments about Greenland and perceived dismissals of Denmark's role in shared security. The protesters marched from a memorial to the embassy and observed five minutes of silence for Denmark’s services. An earlier incident in which 44 flags honoring fallen soldiers were removed by embassy staff sparked further outrage; the embassy apologized and the flags were returned.
Danish Veterans Stage Silent Protest Outside U.S. Embassy After Trump’s Greenland Remarks
Danish Veterans gather for a(Emil Helms / Ritzau Scanpix /AFP via Getty Images)
Hundreds of Danish veterans — many of whom served alongside American troops in Afghanistan and Iraq — gathered silently outside the U.S. Embassy in Copenhagen on Saturday to protest comments from the Trump administration about Greenland and remarks they said diminished Denmark's contributions to shared security.
“Denmark has always stood side by side with the USA — and we have showed up in the world's crisis zones when the USA has asked us to. We feel let down and ridiculed by the Trump Administration, which is deliberately disregarding Denmark's combat side by side with the USA,” the Danish Veterans & Veteran Support group said in a statement.
The demonstrators first assembled at a monument honoring fallen Danish service members and then marched to the nearby U.S. Embassy, where they observed five minutes of silence — one minute each for Denmark's army, air force, navy, emergency management agency and police.
Denmark's Veterans gather for a
Søren Knudsen, vice president of Denmark's veterans association, told Agence France-Presse that the protest began within the veterans' group and rapidly grew into a much larger event than organizers expected. “We also want to tell Americans that what Trump said is an insult to us and the values that we defended together,” he said.
Martin Aaholm, a Danish combat veteran who lost both legs to an improvised explosive device while serving in Afghanistan alongside U.S. forces, told CBS News he felt “angry and betrayed” by remarks about Greenland and Denmark. Aaholm recalled answering the call to help the United States after 9/11 and said he was proud that small Denmark had stood with larger allies.
Denmark has one of the highest per-capita casualty rates among coalition partners from the post‑9/11 conflicts: 44 Danish soldiers were killed in Afghanistan and eight in Iraq. Those losses contributed to the strong emotional response among veterans to the White House rhetoric, which many interpreted as dismissive of Greenland’s right to self-determination and of Denmark’s ability to help protect Arctic security interests.
Danish flags are placed in front of the US embassy in Copenhagen, Denmark, on January 28, 2026. / Credit: Kristian Tuxen Ladegaard Berg/NurPhoto via Getty Images
Tensions escalated earlier in the week after 44 Danish flags — placed outside the embassy to honor each soldier killed in Afghanistan — were removed by embassy staff. The removal prompted criticism and emotional response from veterans and the public. The embassy apologized, replaced the flags, and said it had “nothing but the deepest respect for Danish veterans and the sacrifices Danish soldiers have made for our shared security,” adding there was no ill intent.
The U.S. State Department later explained that, as a general rule, guard staff clear items left at demonstrations and other legitimate exercises of free speech; it said the removed flags were returned to those who placed them.
Veterans said the demonstration was intended to register hurt and disappointment and to remind Americans and the broader international community of Denmark’s longstanding partnership with the United States in defense and security operations.
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