Danish Prime Minister ‘shocked but safe’ after street attack in Copenhagen

Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen says she is “sad and shocked” but “fine” after being attacked in the street in Copenhagen.

Mrs Frederiksen is said to have suffered mild whiplash after a man approached and hit her in Copenhagen’s Old Town on Friday evening.

An arrested 39-year-old Pole appeared for a preliminary hearing at the court in Frederiksberg on Saturday.

He was accused of violence against a public official, but denies any wrongdoing, local media reported.

The suspect will be remanded in custody until June 20, Copenhagen police said on X.

Ms Frederiksen’s office told AFP news agency that she was taken to hospital for examination after the incident.

Her official appointment for Saturday was cancelled.

In a message posted on Instagram over the weekend, she thanked people for the “many, many, many messages of support and encouragement” she had received, calling it “incredibly moving.”

“I am sad and shocked about yesterday’s incident, but otherwise I am fine,” she wrote.

She added that she now needs “peace and quiet” and wants to be with her family.

Ms Frederiksen, 46, is leader of the Danish Social Democrats, the largest party in the Danish coalition government.

She became prime minister in 2019 after taking over as leader of the centre-left party four years earlier, making her the youngest prime minister in Danish history.

European leaders have condemned the incident, which occurred two days before the European elections in Denmark on Sunday.

EU Commissioner Charles Michel expressed his “outrage” on the internet portal X, while French President Emmanuel Macron called the situation “unacceptable” and wished the Danish Prime Minister a “speedy recovery”.