Denmark Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen while walking the center of Copenhagen was assaulted by male citizen which has left her suffering from severe shock.
The BBC reported that the assault took place in a square in the city’s old town when a man walked up to the politician and hit her. The attacker was swiftly arrested, but there is no word yet on a motive.
According to two witnesses- Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn who described the Copenhagen assault to the local newspaper BT, the attacker pushed her hard and she fell on the floor. “A man came by in the opposite direction and gave her a hard shove on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side,” they said.
They said that while it was a “strong push” the prime minister did not hit the ground and that she sat down at a nearby café to recover.
Mette Frederiksen’s office said that the incident had left the politician “shocked” and that she was suffering “minor whiplash”.
A 39-year-old man is due to appear at a hearing at the Frederiksberg Courthouse on Saturday afternoon in connection with the incident.
The attack comes two days before Denmark votes in the EU election.
In 2021, European leader, France president Emmanuel Macron was slapped on the face by a man while on an official visit to South east France.
The dastardly act has been condemned by many top officials. Ursula von der Leyen European Commission chief, called it a “despicable act, which goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe”.
Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said on X: “Mette is naturally shocked by the attack. I must say that it shakes all of us who are close to her.”
EU chief Charles Michel said on X that he was “outraged”.
“I strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression,” he said.
Ms Frederiksen, 46, became prime minister of Denmark in 2019 after taking over as leader of the centre-left Social Democrats four years earlier. This made her the youngest prime minister in Danish history.
