Comic's US Flag Stunt Doesn't Fly in Greenland

A German comedian's attempt at a political gag in Greenland has instead triggered a warning about playing politics for clicks. Maxi Schafroth, a Bavarian comic known for the satirical TV show Extra Drei, tried to raise the US flag on a pole outside the cultural center in Nuuk, Greenland's capital, per the Guardian. Witnesses say the 41-year-old claimed to be a US official when challenged, then walked away under hostile stares. Deutsche Welle reports that he was reported to police and fined.

Avaaraq Olsen, mayor of the Sermersooq municipality, which includes Nuuk, blasted the stunt, noting it came amid weeks of US rhetoric, per Politico. "Raising a flag at our capital cultural center, the flag of the military superpower that for weeks has been implying military force against our country, is not a joke," she said, calling it "immensely harmful." She urged people to "pause before you film" and weigh whether a stunt informs the world "or simply make[s] a child cry or a family feel less safe in their own country." Olsen said children and adults in Greenland are already anxious as the government tries to ease public stress linked to President Trump's ambitions to take control of the Arctic territory. German broadcaster NDR, which airs Extra Drei, expressed regret over the incident.