According to the authorities, a guy approached and attacked Denmark's prime minister in a public area in the country's capital. According to a statement from her office, "Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was beaten on Friday evening at Kultorvet in Copenhagen by a man who was subsequently arrested," said the BBC.
"The Prime Minister is shocked by the incident." Police provided little information other than to confirm the arrest. The status of Frederiksen's injuries remained unknown. The prime minister was led away, and a barista who works on the plaza commented, "She seemed a little stressed."
The nation will vote in the EU election on Sunday, and in the lead-up, lawmakers in other countries have come under criticism. According to the AP, Social Democrat Frederiksen has been out campaigning alongside her party's EU front-runner, Christel Schaldemose; sources suggest the attack was unrelated to any events. Following a gunshot last month, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico suffered grave injuries. Politico Europe reports that a far-right politician in Germany was attacked with a box cutter this week, while a Social Democrat member of the European Parliament was assaulted during a campaign event in Germany.
People with varying political opinions in Denmark and abroad denounced the attack on Frederiksen, who has been in government since 2019. The environment minister of Denmark declared, "Something like this must not happen in our beautiful, safe, and free country." "Violence and assault undermine the public debate and thus our democracy," declared a candidate for the Liberal Party. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated that the attack "goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe." "Violence has no place in politics," said EU parliament president Roberta Metsola in a post. Stay resilient, Mette!"
BREAKING:
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) June 8, 2024
Denmark’s PM Mette Frederiksen has cancelled her election campaign ahead of the European Parliament election due to head injuries she sustained after having been beaten up by a man on the streets of Copenhagen yesterday evening
🇩🇰 pic.twitter.com/JXrMXlWuGf
"The Prime Minister is shocked by the incident." Police provided little information other than to confirm the arrest. The status of Frederiksen's injuries remained unknown. The prime minister was led away, and a barista who works on the plaza commented, "She seemed a little stressed."
The nation will vote in the EU election on Sunday, and in the lead-up, lawmakers in other countries have come under criticism. According to the AP, Social Democrat Frederiksen has been out campaigning alongside her party's EU front-runner, Christel Schaldemose; sources suggest the attack was unrelated to any events. Following a gunshot last month, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico suffered grave injuries. Politico Europe reports that a far-right politician in Germany was attacked with a box cutter this week, while a Social Democrat member of the European Parliament was assaulted during a campaign event in Germany.
People with varying political opinions in Denmark and abroad denounced the attack on Frederiksen, who has been in government since 2019. The environment minister of Denmark declared, "Something like this must not happen in our beautiful, safe, and free country." "Violence and assault undermine the public debate and thus our democracy," declared a candidate for the Liberal Party. Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission, stated that the attack "goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe." "Violence has no place in politics," said EU parliament president Roberta Metsola in a post. Stay resilient, Mette!"
