A wave of defiant red baseball caps is sweeping through Denmark, offering a satirical riposte to US President Donald Trump's renewed interest in purchasing Greenland. The hats, which parody the iconic 'Make America Great Again' (MAGA) slogan with the phrase 'Make America Go Away', have surged in popularity as a symbol of solidarity with the Arctic territory.
From Vintage Store to Viral Protest Symbol
The movement began in a Copenhagen vintage clothing shop owned by Jesper Rabe Tonnesen. He initially designed the caps in 2024, but they failed to gain traction. Everything changed when the Trump administration recently escalated its rhetoric regarding Greenland, making the threat feel alarmingly real. "When a delegation from America went up to Greenland, we started to realise this probably wasn't a joke – it's not reality TV, it's actually reality," Tonnesen explained.
Motivated to act, he asked himself how he could communicate a serious message in a humorous way and unite Danes in support of Greenland. The answer was his spoof cap. Demand exploded from a trickle to a complete sell-out over a single weekend, forcing Tonnesen to place an order for several thousand more to meet the unexpected public appetite.
Caps and Slogans: A Toolkit of Defiance
The original design features a clever bilingual twist. On the front, it reads 'Nu det NUUK!' – a play on the Danish phrase 'Nu det nok' ('Now it's enough'), substituting the word 'nok' with 'Nuuk', the capital of Greenland. This creative protest item quickly became a centrepiece at public demonstrations.
Protesters braved freezing temperatures at a weekend rally outside Copenhagen's city hall, waving Danish and Greenlandic flags. Alongside the red caps, handmade signs carried messages like "No Means No" and "Make America Smart Again." Attendee Lars Hermansen stated his reasons plainly: "I want to show my support to Greenland and also show that I don't like the president of the United States."
European Solidarity and Security Concerns
The cap phenomenon reflects a broader geopolitical stance. European governments are rallying behind Denmark and Greenland, viewing Trump's overtures as a threat to Arctic stability and Western security. The protest, while often lighthearted in tone, underscores a serious underlying tension.
Another cap-wearing demonstrator, Kristian Boye, emphasised the gravity of the situation: "I'm here to support the Greenlanders, who are going through a very hard time right now. They are being threatened with having their country invaded. I think it's totally unacceptable." What began as one shop owner's idea has now become a visible, wearable statement of national and continental resolve against an unprecedented territorial proposition.
