Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was reportedly attacked by a man in central Copenhagen leaving her “shocked”. The assault took place in a square in the centre of the city where a man walked up to her and hit her.
The man has been arrested and will appear in a pre-trial custody hearing on Saturday, the authorities said.
Eyewitness’s statement
“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was beaten on Friday evening at Kultorvet in Copenhagen by a man who was subsequently arrested. The prime minister is shocked by the incident,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement without giving further detail.
Two Eyewitnesses, Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn told the newspapers about the incident that happened that morning. “A man came by in the opposite direction and gave her a hard shove on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side,” the two women told the newspaper. They said that while it was a “strong push” the prime minister did not hit the ground.
Another witness, Kasper Jørgensen, told the Ekstra Bladet tabloid that a well-dressed man, who seemed part of Frederiksen’s protection unit, and a police officer took down the alleged assailant.
Internet uproar
“NATO allies stand together to protect our values, freedom, democracy and our rule of law,” Jens Stoltenberg, NATO Secretary-General wrote on the social media platform, X, on Saturday.
Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said that “an attack on a democratically elected leader is also an attack on our democracy.” Finnish Prime Minister Petteri Orpo said he strongly condemned “all forms of violence against the democratically elected leaders of our free societies.”
Charles Michel, president of the European Council, condemned on X what he called a “cowardly act of aggression.”
Dear @Statsmin Mette, I was so shocked at the news of you being assaulted tonight.
I condemn this despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe.
I wish you strength and courage – I know you have plenty of both.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) June 7, 2024
Violence against politicians has become a theme in the run-up to the EU elections. In May, a candidate from Germany’s centre-left Social Democrats was beaten and seriously injured while campaigning for a seat in the European Parliament.
Though the attack on politicians in Denmark are rare, this attack on the PM took place now when she campaigned with Social Democrats’ EU lead candidate, Christel Schaldemose. Media reports said the attack was not linked to a campaign event.
Ms Frederiksen, 46, became prime minister in 2019 after taking over as leader of the centre-left Social Democrats four years earlier. This made her the youngest prime minister in Danish history.
