- author, George Wright
- role, BBC News
-
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is said to be “shocked” after being punched by a man while walking in central Copenhagen.
The assault took place in a square in the city’s Old Town, where a man approached the politician and punched him.
The perpetrator was quickly arrested, but no motive has yet been revealed.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “despicable act that goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.”
Witnesses Marie Adrian and Anna Loven told local newspaper BT newspaper the assault occurred when “a man came from the other direction, pushed her hard in the shoulder and knocked her sideways.”
A source said the prime minister suffered a “strong impact” but did not fall to the ground and was able to sit down in a nearby cafe and recover.
Mette Frederiksen’s office said the politician had been “shocked” by the incident.
The attack took place two days before Denmark voted in the EU elections.
Frederiksen, leader of Denmark’s Social Democrats, had earlier taken part in a European election event with the party’s leading candidate, Christer Schaerdemose.
The Social Democrats are the largest party in Denmark’s coalition government, and while they still lead the polls, their support has fallen sharply in recent months.
“Mette is naturally shocked by this attack and I have to say that all of us who are close to her are shaken,” Denmark’s Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said on X.
European Union Secretary-General Charles Michel said he was “outraged” by the move.
“I strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression,” he said.
Frederiksen, 46, became leader of the centre-left Social Democrats four years ago and became prime minister in 2019, making her the youngest prime minister in Danish history.
Trump called her “nasty” after she dismissed the proposal for such a land deal as “ridiculous.”
