Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was “punched” by a man in a Copenhagen square on Friday, her office said, and EU leaders quickly condemned the attack.
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attends a ceremony at the Danish memorial outside Sainte-Marie-du-Mont, Normandy, Thursday, June 6, 2024. (Associated Press) {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}} {{^userSubscribed}} {{/userSubscribed}}
In a statement to AFP, the Danish Prime Minister's office said Frederiksen was “shocked by this incident” but gave no further details.
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“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was assaulted on Friday evening on Kurtorvetstraat in Copenhagen by a man who has since been arrested,” the statement said.
The incident comes on the heels of a series of attacks on politicians from all political parties in the workplace and on the campaign trail in Germany ahead of this week's European Parliament elections.
On May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range as he greeted supporters after a government meeting in the central city of Handlova.
Fico, who survived the assassination attempt, was taken to a hospital in a nearby city after the shooting, where he underwent two lengthy operations.
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Eyewitnesses Marie Adrian and Anna Loven told BT they were sitting by a nearby fountain just before 6pm (1600 GMT) when they saw Mr Frederiksen arrive in the square.
“A man came from the other direction and pushed her hard on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side,” both women told the paper.
Authorities said Frederiksen was “pushed hard” but did not fall to the ground.
Witnesses said the prime minister continued to sit in a nearby cafe afterwards.
– “A despicable act” –
The attacker, described as tall and thin, tried to flee quickly, but before he could do so he was grabbed by men in suits and thrown to the ground.
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European Union Secretary-General Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Friday strongly condemned the attack on Frederiksen.
Metsola urged Danish government leaders to “stay strong”, adding in a post on X that “violence has no place in politics”.
Michelle, meanwhile, said she was “outraged by this assault.”
“I strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression,” the European Council president said in another post addressed to X.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the move in a social media statement, calling it a “despicable act that goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.”
Copenhagen police confirmed that an incident involving the prime minister had occurred but did not provide further details.
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In a statement about X, police said: “We have made one arrest in this case and the investigation is currently ongoing. We have no further comment or opinion on this case at this time.”
“I have to say that all of us close to her are shocked,” Denmark's Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said in a social media post.
“This should never happen in our beautiful, safe and free country,” he said.
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