The US Embassy in Copenhagen has angered Danish veterans by eradicating flags honoring troopers killed in Afghanistan from an space exterior the constructing.
Video shared by Danish media outlet TV2 confirmed a safety guard eradicating the flags honoring the 44 Danish troopers who died in the battle from planters positioned exterior the embassy on Tuesday.
The Danish Veteran Association slammed the transfer as “unnecessary and insensitive” in an announcement on social media Wednesday. Carsten Rasmussen, nationwide chairman of the affiliation, mentioned he understood the indignant response however urged a measured response. “When they go low, we go high — and we respond with calm, dignity, and consideration,” he mentioned.
A US State Department spokesperson advised NCS the location of the flags was not coordinated with the US Embassy workers in Copenhagen and that the embassy was unaware of the flags’ significance.
While the location of such objects shouldn’t be typically prohibited, flags, banners and indicators are sometimes cleared by guard workers on the finish of their shift “as a general rule,” the spokesperson added.
“Additional flags subsequently placed are currently in place and will remain so,” the spokesperson mentioned.
A spokesperson for the US Embassy in Copenhagen advised Danish broadcaster TV 2 that there was “no malicious intent in removing the flags.” The spokesperson added that the embassy has the deepest respect for Danish veterans and people who have contributed to frequent safety, TV2 reported.
Danes responded by inserting tons of extra flags in entrance of the American Embassy, in keeping with video shared by TV2.
The newest diplomatic spat between the 2 nations got here after President Donald Trump roiled NATO allies final weekend when he baselessly claimed that the alliance’s troops “stayed a little back” from the entrance traces in Afghanistan.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen mentioned in a social media publish on Sunday that Trump’s feedback have been “intolerable,” including that Denmark suffered one of many highest losses per capita in comparability to NATO allies.
The relationship between Copenhagen and Washington has soured in latest weeks after Trump renewed his calls for for the annexation of Greenland, the huge autonomous Arctic territory dominated by Denmark.
Tensions reached a fever pitch final weekend when Trump threatened to impose tariffs on European nations. He withdrew the menace after saying he reached a “framework” on a future deal for the island following a gathering with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte.
The particulars of the framework haven’t but been revealed, however Trump’s hostile posturing and unpredictability have rattled Denmark, Greenland and their European allies.
NCS’s Kim Norgaard contributed to this report.