Flags honoring Danish troops at US embassy reinstalled after outcry

COPENHAGEN, Denmark — The removal of flags commemorating fallen Danish veterans who fought in Afghanistan by staff at the United States embassy in the country’s capital has caused a public outcry.

The move came ahead of a silent march that will take place here on Jan. 31 to pay respect and show solidarity to the veterans following remarks made by U.S. President Donald Trump, which discredited the role NATO allied troops played during the war.

In a recent interview with Fox News, the president claimed that while allies sent soldiers to help U.S. troops, they “stayed a little back and a little off the frontlines.” Trump added that the U.S. “never really needed them” in the conflict.

The comments sparked a significant wave of anger among Danish leaders and veterans, who stated that such remarks were disrespectful and insulting to the sacrifices made by Danish troops and those of other countries.

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Washington invoked NATO’s Article 5 for the first and only time in history. Denmark was among the first countries to respond to the call for collective defense and deployed troops, as well as military equipment, which played an important part in supporting U.S. operations during the war in Afghanistan in 2002.

A total of 44 Danish soldiers were killed before the Scandinavian country officially pulled out all of its personnel in 2021. The flags placed in flower boxes at the U.S. building in Copenhagen had their names on them before they were removed by embassy staff.

Danish media TV2 reported that they were taken down “as part of the building’s security measures.” Following widespread outrage, the flags were reinstalled and authorized to remain in place.

Residents told Defense News that the tensions between the two countries in recent weeks, centered on a threat made by the Trump administration to use military force to seize control over Greenland, have caused a major loss of confidence in Washington as a credible ally.

“It really hurts to hear those comments and erodes trust. … They were a friend, a big brother for us. It’s been hard to grasp everything that has unfolded,” said Hans Peter H. Michaelsen, a defense analyst who served for over 40 years in the Royal Danish Air Force.

One American citizen who has been residing in Copenhagen for over a year said that he and his family also plan to attend the Jan 31. demonstration to show support.

Elisabeth Gosselin-Malo was a Europe correspondent for Defense News. She covers a wide range of topics related to military procurement and international security, and specializes in reporting on the aviation sector. She is based in Milan, Italy.

丹麦哥本哈根——美国驻丹麦首都大使馆工作人员移除纪念在阿富汗阵亡的丹麦老兵的旗帜，引发了公众的强烈抗议。

此前，美国总统唐纳德·特朗普发表了贬低北约盟军在战争中所扮演角色的言论，随后，1月31日将在此举行静默游行，以表达对退伍军人的敬意和声援。

在最近接受福克斯新闻采访时，总统声称，虽然盟军派兵支援美军，但他们“始终保持距离，远离前线”。特朗普还补充说，美国在冲突中“从未真正需要过他们”。

这些言论在丹麦领导人和退伍军人中引发了极大的愤怒，他们表示，这种言论是对丹麦军队和其他国家军队所作牺牲的不尊重和侮辱。

2001年9月11日恐怖袭击事件发生后，华盛顿历史上首次也是唯一一次启动了北约第五条款。丹麦是最早响应集体防御号召的国家之一，并部署了军队和军事装备，在2002年阿富汗战争期间为美国提供了重要的军事支持。

在丹麦于 2021 年正式撤出所有人员之前，共有 44 名丹麦士兵丧生。在哥本哈根美国大使馆花箱中摆放的旗帜上，曾写有他们的名字，后来被大使馆工作人员取走。

丹麦媒体TV2报道称，这些旗帜被取下是“作为大楼安保措施的一部分”。在引发广泛抗议后，这些旗帜被重新悬挂，并获准继续保留。

居民告诉《防务新闻》，最近几周，两国之间的紧张局势主要源于特朗普政府威胁要动用武力夺取格陵兰岛的控制权，这导致人们对华盛顿作为可靠盟友的信心严重下降。

“听到这些评论真的让人很伤心，也破坏了信任……他们是我们的朋友，就像我们的大哥一样。这一切真的很难让人接受，”曾在丹麦皇家空军服役超过40年的国防分析师汉斯·彼得·H·米凯尔森说道。

一位在哥本哈根居住一年多的美国公民表示，他和家人也计划参加 1 月 31 日的示威活动以示支持。

伊丽莎白·戈斯林-马洛曾任《防务新闻》欧洲通讯员。她的报道涵盖军事采购和国际安全等广泛领域，尤其擅长航空领域的报道。她常驻意大利米兰。