Flags honouring fallen Danish soldiers removed outside US embassy in Copenhagen

In Copenhagen, US embassy staff removed 44 flags bearing the names of Danish soldiers who died in Afghanistan. 

The flags had been placed by activists on January 27 following criticism by US President Donald Trump of allied countries’ military contributions, Caliber.Az reports per foreign media.

The flags were installed on the sidewalk in front of the embassy building, but security staff removed them the same day. Although the sidewalk falls under the jurisdiction of the City of Copenhagen, the flower boxes holding the flags are embassy property and part of anti-terrorism security measures, city officials said.

A diplomatic mission spokesperson told TV2 that the removal was not intended as a slight and added that if embassy leadership had known the purpose of the display, the flags would have been left in place.

Copenhagen’s mayor for environmental affairs, Line Barfoed, called the action “disrespectful,” noting that the flags symbolised the contribution of Danish soldiers.

Denmark has one of the highest per-capita casualty rates among allied nations in Afghanistan, and Danish veterans recently staged a protest outside the embassy.

In an interview with Fox Business last week, Trump said that allied soldiers in Afghanistan, “stayed a little back, a little off the front lines” – causing pushback from European capitals.

By Jeyhun Aghazada