Danish Prime Minister experiences minor whiplash following assault in central Copenhagen | Lifestyle

Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen Assaulted in Central Copenhagen

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is recovering from a minor whiplash after being assaulted by a man in central Copenhagen, according to a statement from her office on Saturday.

The incident took place on Friday, with police confirming on social media Platform X that a 39-year-old man had been arrested in connection with the assault. Frederiksen was taken to a hospital for a check-up following the incident, but aside from the minor whiplash, she is reportedly unharmed. However, she has canceled her scheduled activities for the day to rest and recover from the shock of the attack.

Details of the assault are still unclear, but witnesses reported that the man forcefully approached Frederiksen and pushed her hard while she was passing through Kultorvet Square, a prominent piazza in Copenhagen. Eyewitnesses Anna Ravn and Marie Adrian stated that the man pushed the prime minister on the shoulder, causing her to be shoved aside, but she did not fall down. Another witness, Kasper Jørgensen, described how a member of Frederiksen’s security detail and a police officer apprehended the assailant.

The news of the assault has sparked condemnation from politicians both in Denmark and abroad. NATO Secretary-General Jens Stoltenberg expressed shock at the incident, describing Frederiksen as a friend and emphasizing the importance of protecting democratic values. Leaders from Sweden, Finland, and the European Union also denounced the attack, calling it an assault on democracy and the rule of law.

The assault comes at a critical time as European Union parliamentary elections are currently underway in Denmark and across the bloc, with voting set to conclude on Sunday. Frederiksen, who has been campaigning with the Social Democrats’ EU lead candidate, Christel Schaldemose, was not participating in a campaign event at the time of the attack.

Violence against politicians has been a concerning issue leading up to the EU elections, with incidents reported in Germany and Slovakia. In Denmark, assaults on politicians are rare, with the last notable incident occurring in 2003 when then-Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen was targeted by activists throwing red paint inside the parliament.

Frederiksen, 46, has been the leader of the Social Democratic Party and the prime minister of Denmark since 2019. She has led the country through the challenges of the global COVID-19 pandemic and made controversial decisions, such as the culling of Denmark’s captive mink population in 2020 to prevent the spread of the virus.

The suspect in the assault on Frederiksen is set to appear in a pre-trial custody hearing at the Copenhagen District Court in Frederiksberg on Saturday. The investigation into the incident is ongoing, and authorities are working to determine the motive behind the attack.

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