The 39-year-old man who has been charged with violence against Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) denies the crime. He claims he did not touch her, saying so as the trial begins in the Copenhagen City Court. At the time, he was under the influence of alcohol, but not intoxicated, he states.
I had a bad day, says the 39-year-old.
The trial against the man, who is a Polish citizen, is expected to last two days and concerns several suspected crimes, including a punch with a clenched fist to the Prime Minister's shoulder.
He bumped into her by chance on Kultorvet in central Copenhagen on June 7, when Mette Frederiksen was out meeting a friend. She was taken to Rigshospitalet with a minor neck injury. Afterwards, Frederiksen had to cancel several meetings and could not complete her last campaign day before the European Championship election.