Man arrested for punching Frederiksen

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) has mild neck injuries after being attacked in central Copenhagen on Friday. She reports that she is well. A man has been arrested on suspicion of hitting the prime minister on the upper arm. According to the police, he was noticeably intoxicated during the attack.

» Updated: July 16 2024

» Published: June 08 2024

Man arrested for punching Frederiksen
Photo: Jeremias Gonzalez/AP/TT

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (S) has suffered from mild neck injuries after being attacked in central Copenhagen on Friday. She reports that she is well.

A man has been arrested suspected of hitting the prime minister on the upper arm. According to the police, he was noticeably drunk during the attack.

Frederiksen was taken to Rigshospitalet in the Danish capital after the incident. Her staff has said that she was attacked by a man on Kultorvet.

On Saturday, it is reported that Frederiksen has neck symptoms from a mild blow. The blow is said to have made her almost fall to the ground.

Frederiksen states in a written statement that she is shaken by the incident, but otherwise is well.

"I need to be with my family and be myself for a while", she says to Ritzau.

The 39-year-old man who was arrested on the spot has been detained. The charges against him are that he hit Frederiksen with a clenched fist on her upper arm.

During the detention hearing, it emerged that he was noticeably drunk when he went to the attack. The man has said that he was surprised to see Frederiksen on the street, and that he thinks she is a "really good prime minister".

Police initially assess the incident as an isolated and spontaneous act without political motives.

Frederiksen has cancelled her planned EU campaign tour for Saturday.

Sweden's Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson (M) tells TT that what happened is "completely appalling" and that he has been in contact with Frederiksen since the incident.

The leader of the Social Democrats, Magdalena Andersson, is concerned about the attack.

Reactions to the incident are also strong in Denmark.

"I am appalled that someone in Denmark can think of attacking the prime minister on an open street in the middle of Copenhagen", says Søren Gade (V), Speaker of the Danish Parliament Folketing, in a written statement.

"It is utterly unacceptable, and completely unacceptable, that politicians cannot move freely", continues Gade, and calls it "an attack on our parliamentary system".

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By TTThis article has been altered and translated by Sweden Herald

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