Activists blocked a weapons transport from Maersk destined for Israel, bringing a two week protest camp in Copenhagen to a close.
The blockade of the transport was the final action of the camp, Arbejderen reports. The protesters targeted Maersk over what they describe as the company’s shipment of weapons parts to Israel.
The camp formed part of a campaign called Bryd Kæden, meaning Break the Chain. Nordisch.info reported on August 21 that hundreds of Palestine and climate activists blocked streets around Maersk’s headquarters at Esplanaden in Copenhagen.
According to the same outlet, the two week mobilization gathered more than 500 activists from across Europe against the role of Danish companies in global supply chains. Greta Thunberg was among the participants. Organizers from Mask off Mærsk said the company transports components for 900 kilogram bombs used by Israel in Gaza.
Earlier actions and reports
The summer’s protests follow similar actions at the same address. A Ritzau press release from campaign organizers stated that hundreds of activists blocked Maersk’s headquarters on June 3, seeking to stop staff from entering the building. The release described the transports as unlawful under EU and international rules on arms exports.
On June 25, Oxfam Denmark and the Palestinian Youth Movement issued a joint statement presenting a new report. The organizations said the report concluded that Maersk had carried key weapons components to Israel despite earlier company denials, and they called on the company to halt all such transports.
Maersk has rejected that description. In a statement relayed by DR, the company said cargo carried for the US government to Israel contains neither weapons nor ammunition, only military related equipment. Maersk added that all cargo is screened and that the shipments comply with applicable law.
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre, citing an investigation by Danwatch published in 2024, noted that 14 Maersk owned container ships carried military equipment to Israel 43 times between October 2023 and September 2024. The center summarized both the activists’ allegations and the company’s response.
DR also covered an earlier blockade at the headquarters in February 2025, when police removed activists using physical force and gas. Copenhagen Police said at the time that some demonstrators had climbed onto the roof, that the protest had not been notified to police, and that it significantly disrupted the company’s operations.
