A Copenhagen nationalist march calling for stricter immigration policies and “remigration” was met by an anti-racist counter-protest on Saturday, 5 September, with police intervening several times as tensions broke out between opposing groups. At least three people were arrested during the demonstrations in the Danish capital, according to police information reported by Ritzau and DR.
The march was organised by Det Danske Folk, together with United Lion & Sun Nordic, and began at Trianglen in the Østerbro district. The organisers presented it as a demonstration in support of Denmark, Danish culture and national cohesion, held on the country’s official Flag Day for deployed personnel.
The Copenhagen nationalist march focused on “remigration”
On its registration website, Det Danske Folk described the event as a peaceful and non-partisan procession supporting what it calls a “fair and realistic remigration” policy. It also stated that Denmark should remain “culturally cohesive” and that immigration policy should be based on Danish law and interests. Det Danske Folk’s event page
The group had urged participants to primarily carry Dannebrog, the Danish flag, rather than other national flags. The march followed a route of around seven kilometres through central Copenhagen, including stops near the British and Swedish embassies.
According to DR, the organisers said participants had gathered “for Denmark, for freedom, security, Danish culture and national unity”, while the event also expressed opposition to sharia legislation and religious social control.
Det Danske Folk publicly rejects racism and political extremism. However, the anti-fascist research collective Redox reported before the march that people with previous links to Danish neo-Nazi and far-right environments had announced plans to attend. During the demonstration, Redox also documented black-clad participants and people displaying Nazi-associated symbols and gestures. These claims come from Redox’s own reporting and have not been independently established by police. Redox’s reporting on the march
Anti-racist groups organised a counter-demonstration
At the same time, a coalition including Fællesinitiativet mod Racisme og Diskrimination, Racismefri By and København for Mangfoldighed organised a counter-demonstration nearby on Dag Hammarskjölds Allé.
The organisers presented the protest as a response to what they described as the normalisation of the far right and of the concept of remigration. Their slogans included “No to remigration”, support for refugees and Muslims as part of Danish society, and demands for equal rights and opportunities.
In its public call for the demonstration, Fællesinitiativet mod Racisme og Diskrimination argued that remigration policies could lead to discriminatory mass expulsions and said the protest was intended to oppose racism, hatred and discrimination. The organisers’ announcement of the anti-racist demonstration
Before the demonstrations began, Copenhagen Police (Københavns Politi) said it had agreed routes and designated areas with the organisers of the two main events. One procession started at Trianglen, while the other demonstration assembled on Dag Hammarskjölds Allé. Copenhagen Police update
Police intervened after clashes and a street blockade
The demonstrations were repeatedly disrupted by confrontations. Police intervened around Østerbrogade and Classensgade, where an unregistered group blocked the street and was eventually removed by force after ignoring police orders to leave.
Ritzau reported that officers pushed back protesters and that batons were used during the operation. Further tensions developed near Østerport, where groups of counter-demonstrators and participants in the nationalist march came into proximity. Ritzau report on the police intervention
At least three people were arrested, with suspected offences including violence against police, possession of pyrotechnics and possession of drugs, according to information provided by police to Ritzau.
There were also reports of fireworks being thrown during the demonstrations. Organisers of the Det Danske Folk march publicly warned participants that anyone using powerful fireworks would be removed from the procession.
The demonstrations reflect Denmark’s wider immigration debate
The mobilisation came as the term “remigration” has become increasingly common in Europe’s far-right and identitarian movements. In its more radical meaning, it does not refer only to the return of irregular migrants, but to the forced removal of people with a migrant background, including long-term residents, naturalised citizens and, in some interpretations, their descendants born and raised in Europe.
The term has therefore also been used to describe proposals that could affect second- or later-generation Europeans, regardless of whether they themselves migrated. Euronews has traced the concept’s spread within the European far right.
Its meaning and practical implications nevertheless vary depending on who uses it. Some political groups use “remigration” more narrowly for policies concerning irregular migrants or foreign nationals who commit crimes, while more radical movements explicitly connect it to changing the demographic composition of European countries.
In Copenhagen, that ambiguity was also central to the dispute. Det Danske Folk described its proposal as lawful and “realistic”, while the anti-racist coalition argued that the term risks legitimising policies based on ethnicity and exclusion.
