In Europe, growing immigration has led to deep polarization of societies and political violence appears to be on the rise, with major unrest caused by the war in Ukraine, the continent’s largest conflict since World War II.
WARSAW, Poland — Slovakia’s prime minister is still recovering from being shot multiple times in an assassination attempt last month, Denmark’s prime minister was assaulted by a man in downtown Copenhagen on Friday evening, and German politicians have faced a wave of physical and verbal attacks for months.
Political violence appears to be increasing across Europe, as immigration from the Middle East and Africa has polarized societies and people are shaken by the war in Ukraine, the continent’s largest conflict since World War II.
The latest violence comes in the run up to elections for the European Parliament, the legislative body of the 27-nation European Union, scheduled for this weekend.
EU elections generally do not provoke the same enthusiasm as national elections, and it is unclear to what extent the campaign atmosphere is fuelling violence, but immigration pressures are expected to provoke strong emotions and shift the EU Parliament to the political right.
The most serious attack so far was on Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico, who was shot multiple times while greeting supporters on May 15, putting his life at risk.
Mr Fito, who took office last fall on a pro-Russia, anti-American platform, suggested in a pre-recorded video this week that he had been targeted because his views are very different from those of mainstream Europe.
Some critics fear that President Fito, who was already accused of eroding democratic norms before the attack, may be trying to use the assassination attempt to rally support for his populist, left-wing party, Smeru.
The attack on Mr Fitcho follows a spate of violent incidents elsewhere, most recently when a 39-year-old man attacked Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in the street in Copenhagen on Friday evening.
Denmark’s Social Democrat leader, Frederiksen, was taken to hospital for examination and was uninjured but “devastated by the incident,” her office said in a statement. She canceled her campaign activities on Saturday, the day before the election.
Details of the incident were unclear, but local media reported that the man appeared to forcefully walk towards Frederiksen and shove her hard.
For some, attacks on elected leaders add to a growing sense that democracy itself is under attack.
“An attack on a democratically elected leader is also an attack on our democracy,” Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Christersson said on Saturday.
In France, Raphaël Glucksmann, the Socialist Party candidate for the EU elections, was pelted with eggs and paint pellets at a May Day event last month and was escorted away by security forces and then chased by angry protesters.
In early May, far-right politician Eric Zemmour punched a woman who threw eggs at him during a campaign event in Corsica.
In Germany, both the ruling and opposition parties say their members and supporters have faced a wave of physical and verbal attacks in recent months.
Last month, Berlin’s deputy mayor was attacked from behind during an event at a local library by a man who hit him with a bag that police described as containing a hard device.
Before that, a candidate from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party had to undergo surgery after being attacked in Dresden while campaigning for the European elections, and this week a far-right candidate was stabbed and injured in Mannheim while campaigning in local elections taking place on the same day.
“In recent weeks, we have seen an increasing tendency to use violence to pursue political aims or to silence people,” Lars Klingbeil, one of the co-leaders of Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s party, told parliament on Thursday. “Representatives of all political parties have been physically assaulted in recent weeks. … Violence has no place in our society. We cannot say, ‘Yes, but,’ and we cannot downplay it.”
With the UK holding a general election on July 4th, Nigel Farage, the pro-Brexit, anti-immigration campaigner, was doused in milkshakes this week as he returned to the forefront of British politics after announcing he would become leader of the right-wing Reform UK party and stand for parliament.
A 25-year-old woman has been charged with assault.
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With contributions from Geir Moulson in Berlin, Jari Tanner in Helsinki, Angela Charlton in Paris and Brian Melley in London.
