Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen attacked by man in Copenhagen Square | News

Police arrest a man and launch an investigation into the incident at Kultorvet Square that left the Prime Minister “shocked”.

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was “hit” by a man in downtown Copenhagen, her office said.

The 46-year-old was “shocked by the incident” on Friday evening at Kultorvet Square in the capital, the office said in a statement, without giving further details.

“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was hit by a man on Copenhagen’s Kultorvet on Friday evening. The man was subsequently arrested,” the statement continued, according to the AFP news agency.

Copenhagen police also announced on X that a person had been arrested and that the incident was being investigated. However, no further details about the identity of the suspect or a possible motive were given.

It is unclear in what context the attack took place, but it came two days before Danes go to the polls to vote in the European Parliament elections, which end across the EU on Sunday. Frederiksen is campaigning with the Social Democrats’ top candidate, Christel Schaldemose. According to media reports, the attack was not related to a campaign event.

“Strong advance”

Two witnesses, Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn, told BT newspaper they saw Frederiksen arrive at the square while sitting at a nearby fountain shortly before 6 p.m. (16:00 GMT).

“A man came towards her and gave her a strong push on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side,” the newspaper quoted the women as saying.

They added that although Frederiksen had received a “strong impact”, he did not hit the ground.

According to the witnesses, the prime minister then sat down in a nearby cafe. They described the man as tall and slim and said he tried to get away quickly but did not get far before men in suits grabbed him and pushed him to the ground.

Another witness, Kasper Jorgensen, told the newspaper Ekstra Bladet that he saw the man after he was thrown to the ground and said a man, presumably a member of the security service, pressed his knee on his back.

“They had calmed him down, and as he lay there he looked confused and a little dazed,” Jorgensen told the newspaper.

A local resident told Reuters that Frederiksen was taken away by security after the attack.

“She seemed a little stressed,” said Sören Kjergaard, who works as a barista at the square.

“Despicable act”

News of the attack sparked shock and condemnation among politicians across the political spectrum at home and abroad.

European Council President Charles Michel said he was “outraged by the attack”, while European Parliament President Roberta Metsola urged Frederiksen to “stay strong”, adding in a post on X that “violence has no place in politics”.

EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen also condemned the incident in a statement on social media as a “despicable act that contradicts everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.”

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson said: “An attack on a democratically elected head of state is also an attack on our democracy.”

In 2019, Frederiksen became Denmark’s youngest prime minister and retained the office after emerging victorious in the 2022 general election.

“I have to say, it shocks all of us who are close to her,” Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said on social media. “Something like this must not happen in our beautiful, safe and free country.”

Violence against politicians has become an issue in the run-up to the EU elections. In May, a candidate from the German Social Democrats was beaten and seriously injured during the election campaign for a seat in the European Parliament.

In Slovakia, the election campaign was overshadowed by an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Robert Fico on 15 May, which shocked the country and the whole of Europe.