Danish prime minister assaulted in central Copenhagen square

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Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen has been assaulted in a central Copenhagen square in the middle of the European election campaign.

The centre-left premier was “in shock” after the assault on Friday by a man on Kultorvet, one of Copenhagen’s main squares, her office said. Police said they had arrested a 39-year-old man over the assault, who would appear in court on Saturday afternoon. They declined to comment further on the incident. 

Few other details were immediately available. It is unclear whether the assault took place during a campaign event for her Social Democrats party or as part of a private outing.

“Denmark’s prime minister, Mette Frederiksen, was today assaulted and hit by a man at Kultorvet in Copenhagen. Mette is naturally shocked by the attack. I have to say, this shakes all of us who are close to her,” environment minister Magnus Heunicke wrote on social media platform X.

Frederiksen suffered mild whiplash from the attack, her office said on Saturday, adding that the prime minister had cancelled her schedule for the day as she was still shaken. 

Politicians from across Denmark’s political spectrum rushed to condemn the attack.

“Shocking that someone attacks and hits our prime minister,” said Morten Løkkegaard, lead candidate in the European elections for the governing centre-right Liberal party.

“It is crucial for our democracy that we can debate regardless of political position . . . violence and assaults undermine the public debate and thus our democracy.”

Inger Støjberg, head of the far-right Denmark Democrats, said: “Democracy is vulnerable if we do not take care of it. It is completely reprehensible to resort to violence.”

Foreign leaders also condemned the assault. Ulf Kristersson, Sweden’s centre-right prime minister, said: “An attack on a democratically elected leader is also an attack on our democracy. Tonight, my thoughts and those of my family are with her.”

“Tonight’s assault on the Danish prime minister is appalling. Violence has no place in politics. Keep strong, Mette!” said Roberta Metsola, president of the European parliament.

The attack against the Danish prime minister is the latest in a series of violent acts against European politicians recently. Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and seriously wounded last month, while several politicians in Germany have been assaulted in recent weeks.

Neighbouring Sweden has suffered particular political violence over the decades, with prime minister Olof Palme assassinated in 1986 and foreign minister Anna Lindh stabbed to death in 2003 before a referendum on adopting the euro.

Frederiksen was seen last year as a leading candidate to replace Jens Stoltenberg as secretary-general of Nato but failed to receive the approval of US President Joe Biden. More recently, she has been perceived as a favourite for a leading job in Brussels after this weekend’s elections to the European parliament.