Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was assaulted by a man on Kultorvet, a public square lined by cafes and restaurants in the center of Copenhagen’s pedestrian area on Friday evening just before 6:00 p.m. A 39-year-old man was arrested and will be in Copenhagen District Court at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday for an arraignment, according to the police.
Two witnesses described to Danish daily Berlingske that they had seen a man give the Social Democrat PM a hard push on the shoulder, causing her to stumble to the side, but not fall to the ground. The statement has not been verified by the PM’s office or police.
A bartender who witnessed the aftermath told the paper that the visibly shaken PM then sat down at a nearby cafe briefly before security officers in suits whisked her from the scene.
The PM herself has not commented, but environment minister Magnus Heunicke (S) said on X that “Mette is naturally shocked by the attack. I must say that it shakes all of us who are close to her.”
Politicians across the political spectrum denounced the attack. While there is no information about whether the assault was politically motivated, Danish politicians commenting on social media agreed that an attack on the prime minister is an attack on democracy.
Foreign Minister Lars Løkke Rasmussen said on X:
On the 175th anniversary of Danish democracy, it simply isn’t acceptable for the country’s prime minister to be met with punches instead of arguments! Let’s pull ourselves together. Warmest wishes to Mette and her family. And to the rest of us: Stand tall and stand up for what we believe in.
Leaders and public figures from across Europe sent message of support to Fredrikson overnight.
