A 39-year-old man who reportedly assaulted Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in central Copenhagen is set to appear in a pre-trial custody hearing on Saturday. The incident took place on Friday, and while police confirmed that an incident occurred, they did not provide further details on whether Frederiksen was hurt. Witnesses described the man pushing Frederiksen on the shoulder, causing her to be shoved aside, but she did not fall down. Frederiksen’s office stated that she was shocked by the incident and had no visible injuries after the alleged assault.
After the reported assault on Prime Minister Frederiksen, politicians in Denmark and abroad condemned the incident. Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson emphasized that an attack on a democratically elected leader is an attack on democracy, while Charles Michel, president of the European Council, called the act a cowardly act of aggression. The assault comes amid ongoing European Union parliamentary elections in Denmark and the rest of the 27-nation bloc, which are set to conclude on Sunday. Frederiksen has been campaigning with the Social Democrats’ EU lead candidate, Christel Schaldemose, though reports suggest the attack was not linked to a campaign event.
The reported assault on Prime Minister Frederiksen adds to a growing theme of violence against politicians in the lead-up to the EU elections. In a recent incident, a candidate from Germany’s center-left Social Democrats was beaten and seriously injured while campaigning for a seat in the European Parliament. In Slovakia, an attempt to assassinate populist Prime Minister Robert Fico on May 15 overshadowed the election campaign, causing shockwaves throughout the nation and across Europe. Frederiksen, aged 46, has been Denmark’s prime minister since 2019. She has led the country through the global COVID-19 pandemic and made a controversial decision in 2020 to wipe out Denmark’s entire captive mink population to prevent virus transmission.
Assaults on politicians in Denmark are rare, with previous incidents dating back to 2003 when activists threw red paint on then-Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen inside the parliament. The activists were immediately arrested, and Foreign Minister Per Stig Møller also suffered splashes of paint that day. The reported assault on Prime Minister Frederiksen highlights the vulnerability of political leaders and the need for enhanced security measures. The man who allegedly assaulted Frederiksen is expected to appear in court for a pre-trial custody hearing, where further details regarding the incident and the motivation behind the attack may be revealed. Denmark and the international community are united in condemning such acts of violence against democratically elected leaders, emphasizing the importance of preserving democracy and ensuring the safety of public officials.
