The US embassy in Copenhagen removed 44 small Danish flags, each bearing the name of a soldier killed during Denmark’s NATO mission in Afghanistan, Danish broadcaster TV 2 reported on Wednesday, alongside photographs of the incident.
The flags had been placed by Danish veterans in large planters outside the embassy, which also serve as security barriers.
The gesture was intended as a protest against comments by US President Donald Trump in a Fox News interview, in which he suggested that NATO troops “hung back a bit” and stayed “some distance from the front line” during the Afghanistan mission.
US embassy sparks outage among Danish vterans over flag removal
Denmark lost 44 soldiers in Afghanistan, one of the highest per-capita death tolls among NATO allies.
The removal drew criticism from Copenhagen’s mayor, Line Barfod, who described the act as “disrespectful” and urged US diplomats to restore the display. She noted that while the planters belong to the embassy, they are located on public land.
Carsten Rasmussen, head of the Danish Veterans’ Association, also called on the embassy to apologise, describing the flags as a “beautiful” and “dignified” tribute to fallen soldiers and a measured response to comments he said undermined the contribution of Denmark’s NATO allies.
Maja Schlein Staal, a former Danish service member, places Danish flags in front of the US embassy in Copenhagen, 28 January 2026. The flags were set out in response to remarks by US President Trump suggesting that NATO soldiers in Afganistan "stayed back a little" from the front line. Photo: EMIL NICOLAI HELMS DENMARK OUT/PAP/EPA
In a written statement to TV 2, the embassy explained that the flags were removed because they had not been placed by embassy staff and had not been agreed upon in advance.
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Source: PAP/TV2.dk