Fact Check: Did an American tourist try to hoist the US flag in Nuuk, Greenland?
NUUK, GREENLAND: Amid the ongoing tensions over President Donald Trump’s interest in acquiring Greenland, a video has been circulating on social media, supposedly showing an American tourist trying to hoist a US flag in the Arctic region's capital. The video has also raised questions about its authenticity. Let us analyse the video and fact-check it.
Claim: An American man tried to host a US flag in Greenland
The video first appeared on Reddit, showing a man trying to host the US flag on a pole in a snow-covered town while people gathered around him, who appeared to object to the act.
The video was shared with a title, 'Muricans stopped from hoisting the star spangled banner in Greenland.'
It was followed by a caption stating, “Americans, bringing their own photographers and videographers, tried hoisting their own flag in Nuuk, Greenland today. They, however, were stopped before they could do so…”
The video also circulated on X and came with the caption, “This guy attempted to raise the American flag in front of the cultural center in Nuuk. The flagpoles belong to the cultural center."
"Fortunately, the staff stopped him in time. If you do not respect our values, why are you in Nuuk?!”
The incident triggered violent reactions on social media in Greenland after reports emerged that it was done by an American.
Fact Check: The act was part of a recording for a satirical magazine
It was a German comedian — from the German satirical television show Extra 3 — who was attempting to be humorous by posing as a representative of the US government.
— Orla Joelsen (@OJoelsen) January 29, 2026
He has been reported to the police.
It has sparked heated emotions on Facebook, here in Greenland.
Shame on… https://t.co/mOSuvukhUz
The claim, however, is false. According to Greenland’s news media outlet Sermitsiaq, a man employed by the German media outlet NDR attempted to raise the American flag in Greenland's capital, Nuuk, on Wednesday.
The incident has been confirmed by NDR, who explained that the man is a German comedian, Maxi Schafroth, who tried to raise the flag as part of a recording for the satirical magazine 'Extra 3', where he is employed.
Schafroth explained that the incident was intended to do something against the aggressive American approach, and both he and his cameraman are very shocked by the emotions they have triggered.
Tensions amid Donald Trump's threat to annex Greenland
Following Trump's threat to annex the autonomous region under the Danish kingdom, some countries in the European Union have deployed troops to the Arctic territory since January 15.
Trump’s threats to annex Greenland have raised serious doubts about the future of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and have threatened the stability of transatlantic trade.
Trump even threatened to impose a 10 percent tariff on Denmark and seven other European countries if an agreement to sell the islands to the United States is not reached by June 1.
However, on January 21, 2026, Trump abruptly withdrew his threat after speaking with international leaders at the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos.
