Red baseball caps parodying US President Donald Trump’s iconic MAGA hats have appeared in Denmark and Greenland as a symbol of defiance as Trump again threatened to occupy Arctic territory.
The caps read “Make America Go Away,” a twist on Trump’s “Make America Great Again” slogan, and gained attention on social media and at public protests, including a weekend rally in Copenhagen.
Protests target Greenlandic rhetoric
European governments rallied behind Denmark. and the protesters, however, were more outspoken in their criticism.
“I want to show my support for Greenland and also show that I don’t like the president of the United States,” the AP quoted 76-year-old Copenhagen resident Lars Hermansen, who was wearing one of the fake caps at Saturday’s protest, as saying.
The hat maker says demand has increased
The fake hats were created by Copenhagen vintage clothing store owner Jesper Rabe Tonnesen, who said the first batches sold poorly last year before interest spiked following the Trump administration’s heightened rhetoric on Greenland.
“When the delegation from America went to Greenland, we started to realize that it probably wasn’t a joke — it’s not reality TV, it’s actually reality,” said Tonnesen, 58. “So I said, OK, what can I do? Can I communicate in a funny way with a good message and unite Danes to show that Danes support the people of Greenland?”
Tonnesen said demand jumped from trickles to selling out in just one weekend, prompting him to order “several thousand” more caps.
Pun and protest symbolism
The original version of the hat featured the slogan “Nu det NUUK!” — a play on the Danish phrase “Nu det nok”, meaning “That’s enough now”, replacing Nuuk, the small capital of Greenland.
Demonstrators waved Danish and Greenlandic flags and held handmade signs mocking US claims to Greenland at a demonstration in front of Copenhagen City Hall on Saturday.
“No means no,” read one sign.
Protester Kristian Boye, 49, said the rally struck a light-hearted tone while addressing a serious issue.
“I’m here to support Greenlanders who are going through a very difficult time right now,” Boye said. “They are at risk of having their countries invaded. I think that is totally unacceptable.”
