Denmark’s Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, was reportedly “shocked” after being struck by a man while walking in the center of Copenhagen.
The incident occurred in a square in the city’s old town when a man approached the politician and physically assaulted her.
Authorities swiftly apprehended the attacker, but there is currently no information available regarding the motive behind the assault.
Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Commission, condemned the incident, labeling it a “despicable act” that contradicts the core values Europe stands for and fights to uphold.
This assault occurred less than a month after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times while greeting supporters. He survived the attack and has undergone subsequent surgery.
Witnesses Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn recounted the incident to the local newspaper BT, describing how the assailant forcefully shoved the prime minister’s shoulder, causing her to stumble sideways. Although it was a significant push, she managed to stay on her feet, later seeking refuge at a nearby café.
Mette Frederiksen’s office issued a statement expressing her shock and dismay over the incident.
The assault transpired just two days before Denmark’s scheduled EU election.
Ms Frederiksen, leader of Denmark’s Social Democrats, had earlier taken part in a European election event with her party’s lead candidate Christel Schaldemose.
The Social Democrats are the biggest party in Denmark’s coalition government. They still lead the polls, but their support has fallen back considerably in recent months.
Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said on X: “Mette is naturally shocked by the attack. I must say that it shakes all of us who are close to her.”
EU chief Charles Michel said on X that he was “outraged”.
“I strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression,” he said.
At the age of 46, Ms. Frederiksen assumed office as prime minister in 2019, having previously served as the leader of the center-left Social Democrats for four years. This distinction made her the youngest prime minister in Danish history.
Shortly thereafter, she found herself in a dispute with then-President Donald Trump when she rejected his proposal for the US to purchase Greenland. Following her dismissal of the idea as “absurd,” Trump referred to her as “nasty.”
In 2022, Ms. Frederiksen faced substantial criticism from a commission investigating her government’s decision to cull millions of mink during the Covid pandemic.