COPENHAGEN, Denmark — Thousands of veterans and supporters marched in silence to the U.S. Embassy Saturday in a Danish veterans protest over President Donald Trump’s remarks suggesting European NATO troops stayed “a little back” in Afghanistan. Organizers said the comments erased years of sacrifice for a country that lost 44 soldiers in the war and remains one of Washington’s closest partners, Jan. 31, 2026.
Danish veterans protest marked by flags and a silent march
The Danish veterans protest began at Kastellet, a historic fortress that still hosts parts of the Danish military, before the crowd moved toward the embassy carrying large Danish flags. Many veterans wore medals they received for NATO service.
Outside the embassy, participants planted 52 small Danish flags—each bearing a name—to honor Danish servicemen killed in Afghanistan and Iraq, then read the names aloud before holding a moment of silence. “Behind all these flags, there’s a guy, there’s a soldier, there’s a young man,” retired Lt. Col. Niels Christian Koefoed, who served in Afghanistan, told Reuters.
In a statement, the organizers, Danish Veterans & Veteran Support, said Denmark has repeatedly deployed alongside U.S. forces and now feels disrespected. “We feel let down and ridiculed,” the group said, according to The Associated Press.
The Danish veterans protest was sparked by remarks Trump made in an interview with Fox Business Network in Davos, Switzerland. He said non-U.S. troops in Afghanistan “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines,” and argued the United States had rarely needed them.
Denmark’s casualty toll remains a point of national pride and pain: Forty-four Danish soldiers were killed in Afghanistan, and eight more died in Iraq. Veterans say the losses—and the long recovery for those who returned with injuries—make public recognition more than symbolic.
The comments drew sharp reactions from other allies. British Prime Minister Keir Starmer called them “insulting and frankly appalling,” Reuters reported, while noting Trump later praised British troops but did not apologize for his broader characterization of NATO partners.
Tensions intensified earlier in the week after the U.S. Embassy removed 44 Danish flags left in planters outside the building to honor those killed in Afghanistan. A State Department spokesperson said there was “no malicious intent” and that the flags were returned, The Washington Post reported.
Veterans and supporters say the Danish veterans protest is also about what they see as a widening gap between Denmark’s view of itself as a reliable ally and Washington’s recent rhetoric—especially as Trump presses for U.S. control of Greenland and questions Denmark’s ability to protect Arctic security interests.
Continuity: Greenland friction didn’t start this week
Saturday’s Danish veterans protest revived memories of a 2019 diplomatic clash when Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen called Trump’s idea of buying Greenland “absurd,” Reuters reported at the time.
Days later, Trump canceled a planned visit to Denmark after Frederiksen rejected the proposal, escalating a spat between close NATO allies, according to Reuters. In 2020, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo visited Copenhagen and underscored U.S. interest in the Arctic as Washington sought to counter Russia and China, The Washington Post reported.
Veterans leading Saturday’s march said their message was narrower than the geopolitics: honor the dead and respect the living. “They fought together. They bled together,” Carsten Rasmussen, president of the Danish Veterans Association, told AP, as he pointed to amputees and those living with post-traumatic stress disorder. The Danish veterans protest ended with the flags left in place—a quiet memorial meant to outlast the political moment.
