Thousands of people joined a silent march to the US embassy in Copenhagen organized by Denmark’s Veterans’ Association to protest recent remarks by US President Donald Trump.
In a television interview last week, Trump downplayed the role of non‑US NATO troops in Afghanistan, saying they “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines.” His comments came amid tensions with several European NATO allies, notably Denmark, after his aggressive push to take over Greenland, the semi‑autonomous Danish territory.
Police told AFP that “at least 10,000” people took part in the march, while organizers estimated the turnout between 8,000 and 10,000. Despite subzero temperatures, participants gathered at Copenhagen’s Kastellet, where a brief ceremony was held at the monument to fallen soldiers, before proceeding about 1.5 kilometers to the US embassy. The protest was held in silence and dubbed #NoWords; Soren Knudsen, vice president of the veterans’ association, told AFP that “we have no words” to describe how they felt.
Some marchers waved Danish flags or wore military uniforms. Henning Andersen, a former Danish UN soldier in Cyprus, described Trump’s remarks as “very insulting,” noting that friends who served in Afghanistan were wounded and still carry the war with them. Denmark lost 44 troops in Afghanistan — the highest per capita death toll among coalition forces.
Tensions rose further after US embassy staff removed 44 small flags that protesters had placed in embassy planters during an earlier demonstration, each bearing the name of a Danish soldier killed in Afghanistan. The embassy apologized, saying there was “no ill intent” behind the removal and expressing “the deepest respect for Danish veterans and the sacrifices Danish soldiers have made for our shared security.” It also noted the planters were embassy property and the placement had not been coordinated with staff.
The US ambassador later placed 44 Danish flags in the flowerbeds, and an additional 52 flags were planted bearing the names of the 44 soldiers killed in Afghanistan and eight who died in Iraq. A minute of silence was observed outside the embassy. Edited by: Dmytro Hubenko
