Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was attacked in Copenhagen

CNN
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Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen’s office said in a statement to CNN that a man assaulted her, and has since been arrested, in the capital, Copenhagen, on Friday.

“Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was beaten by a man on Friday evening in Kulturveit [public square] In Copenhagen. The Prime Minister’s Office said the man was subsequently arrested.

She added that Frederiksen was “shocked by the incident” and there was no further comment. It is unclear whether the Prime Minister was injured in the attack.

Danish Environment Minister Magnus Hueneke called for national unity after the attack, saying everyone had a responsibility to care for each other regardless of “political differences and election campaigns.”

“Nothing like this should happen in our beautiful, safe, free country,” he said on the X programme. This is ugly and unacceptable. Let’s show that Denmark is much better.

European politicians expressed their shock following the attack.

“I am deeply shocked by the terrible attack on my colleague and friend, Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Frederiksen,” Latvian Prime Minister Ivica Selina said in a post on X.

“All our thoughts are with you and your loved ones. I wish you a speedy recovery,” she added.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen He condemned the attackHe described it as “a despicable act that goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.” She wished the Prime Minister strength and courage, saying she had plenty of both.

Denmark is scheduled to vote in European Union elections Sunday.

Frederiksen, leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party in Denmark, has been Prime Minister since 2019.

Its attack comes weeks after Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and wounded in the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader in more than 20 years. Political analysts and lawmakers said at the time open An increasingly febrile and polarized political climate both in Slovakia and throughout Europe.

This story has been updated with additional developments.