Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was assaulted by a man in a Copenhagen square on Friday, according to her office.
“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was hit by a man Friday evening on Kultorvet in Copenhagen. The man was subsequently arrested,” the prime minister’s office said in a statement to the AFP news agency.
The office of the prime minister added that she was “shocked by the incident.”
Copenhagen police confirm arrest
The Copenhagen police confirmed an incident involving the prime minister but did not provide any further details.
“We have one person arrested in the case, which we are now investigating. At this time, we have no further comments or remarks on the case,” police said in a statement on X, formerly Twitter.
There was no immediate information about how the assault took place or whether Frederiksen was injured in any way.
The attack comes just two days before Danes head to the polls to vote in the EU election.
In response, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said: “Dear @Statsmin Mette, I was so shocked at the news of you being assaulted tonight. I condemn this despicable act which goes against everything we believe and” fight for in Europe. I wish you strength and courage – I know you have plenty of both.”
Both EU chief Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola slammed the assault on Mette.
Michel said on the X platform he was “outraged” and “I strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression.” Metsola, who called the attack “appalling”, said in her own post: “Violence has no place in politics.”
Growing number of incidents
in recent days and weeks.
On Tuesday party was stabbed by a suspect wielding a box cutter in Mannheim in the country’s southwest, according to police.
That attack came just days man was filmed stabbing the police officer and five members of an anti-Islam group calling itself PAX Europa at a booth in the same city.
Last month, and is currently recovering.
Also last month European Parliament candidate Matthias Ecke of Germany’s center-left Social Democrats suffered a broken cheekbone and eye socket in an attack in Dresden.
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kb/lo (Reuters, AP)
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