A German public broadcaster has been fined while filming a show in Greenland after a satirist sought to raise a US flag in public. The incident unfolded amid heightened sensitivity over statements from the US president.

The German public broadcaster has been fined while filming a show in Greenland after a satirist sought to raise a US flag in public. The incident unfolded amid heightened sensitivity over statements from the US president.

A true facepalm idea…

  • thesdev@feddit.orgEnglish
    36·
    1 day ago

    The context here is that Denmark has a flag law that disallows raising any flags other than that of the Nordics and Germany.

      • bstix@feddit.dkEnglish
        1·
        16 hours ago

        Yes, it is.

        It’s such a studid story.

        Originally we had a patchwork of laws dating all the way back to 1833, when all kinds of flagging was made illegal. Only the royalty was allowed to use the flag. This was changed many times since then, but the basis was always the complete ban on flags.

        These laws were largely disregarded since the wars of those times were long since over. Instead we had guidelines for proper etiquette. People followed the guidelines and everything was fine.

        Until 2018. Somebody flew the Star Spangled Banner in such an annoying way that their neighbors questioned if it was legal. The court found it illegal, however this was then tried at the highest court, who came to the conclusion that the latest laws from 1915 couldn’t be used since the law had generally been disregarded for so long.

        This triggered the right wing parties, who were afraid that the final legal decision would result in many more foreign flags. Especially since people at the same time were starting to fly Ukrainian flags as support. Imagine if the immigrants from other places also started using their own flags. Such horror. So the right wing demanded a new law.

        And they got it. The new law from the beginning of 2025 now only allows flags from Denmark, Greenland, Iceland, Faroe Islands, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Germany and… Ukraine. All other flags of foreign territores are illegal.

        The EU, rainbow and pirate flags are also allowed since they do not represent a foreign country.

        The other guidelines such as timing and procedures are still just guidelines. It’s perfectly legal to burn the flag in protest, have it wave after sundown, to let it touch the ground or wipe your ass in it, even if it is against the guidelines.

        Also, if you do want to fly a foreign flag, it is possible to get permission. It only requires accept from the local police. As far as I know, nobody has ever been fined for illegal flagging.