A person hit Mette Frederiksen within the middle of Copenhagen. Crime not solely destroys the dominion.
Prime Minister Frederiksen at EUCO, the summit of EU heads of state and authorities (image from December 2022).
The Prime Minister of Denmark was strolling within the middle of Copenhagen on Friday night round 6 pm when a person approached her and out of the blue pushed her within the shoulder. Mette Frederiksen misplaced her steadiness as a result of heavy blow to the higher arm, however didn’t fall. Two witnesses described the incident to the “BT” newspaper.
Throughout a check-up on the hospital, the favourite social democratic politician was recognized with gentle whiplash. Frederiksen’s workplace introduced that many appointments for the top of presidency had been canceled for Saturday. The assault shocked the 46-year-old.
The background of the crime continues to be unclear: the attacker was in all probability below the affect of medication and alcohol, the Danish information company Ritzau reported, citing the police. There may be at present no political purpose for this. The suspect is a Polish citizen and has lived in Denmark since 2019. A court docket ordered pre-trial detention till June 20.
The person denies the crime. In court docket he admitted that he acknowledged Frederiksen. He thought she was a very good prime minister and was glad she met her available in the market sq.. In the identical query, nevertheless, he claimed that he may not keep in mind precisely what had occurred. In response to a medical examination, the suspect’s situation is alleged to be “mentally unstable”.
On Saturday afternoon, Frederiksen thanked Instagram for the help she acquired after the assault. She is horrified by the incident, however faces one other wonderful.
Denmark in shock
Violence towards politicians is uncommon in Denmark, which is why high-ranking officers can transfer comparatively freely. Though the incident was comparatively gentle, it shocked the dominion. Protection Minister Troels Lund Poulsen mentioned: “It was a shock. Denmark is just not like that. We’re not attacking our Prime Minister.” Atmosphere Minister Magnus Heunicke doubled down, saying that such a factor shouldn’t occur in a protected nation like Denmark.
Frederiksen, who has beforehand taken half in a marketing campaign occasion for the European elections, was apparently accompanied by plainclothes law enforcement officials. They managed to pin the attacker to the bottom and forestall him from escaping. It can’t be denied that the political discourse has intensified in Denmark as effectively. One illustration of that is feedback on social networks after the assault. Frederik Vad, the immigration and integration spokesman of the Social Democrats, mentioned that an awesome variety of individuals have been in favor of the violent assault on the prime minister. They don’t seem to be simply trolls.
Frederiksen – the youngest head of presidency elected in Denmark in 2019 – made enemies when she moved to a restrictive migration coverage. The mass killing of mink in the course of the Covid pandemic has additionally sparked controversy.
Quite a few assaults on politicians in Europe
In current months, politicians have been the goal of violence in a number of European nations. Even when the motives of the perpetrators are completely different in every particular person case, the rise exhibits a worrying growth.
On Could 15, the Prime Minister of Slovakia Robert Fico was shot. He suffered life-threatening wounds to his abdomen and arm. The alleged sufferer – a 71-year-old man – is alleged to have disagreed with authorities insurance policies. He’s mentioned to have had ties to a pro-Russian paramilitary group known as Slovenski Branci.
A month in the past, three German politicians have been attacked earlier than the EU elections. In Dresden, SPD politician Matthias Ecke was attacked and critically injured by youths. The perpetrators are mentioned to have hyperlinks to right-wing extremist actions. Shortly afterwards, Social Democratic Senator Franziska Giffey was attacked in Berlin. At some point later, two AfD members of the state parliament have been barely injured by Antifa representatives in Stuttgart.
Within the examples cited, the violence got here from particular person perpetrators. However there are additionally circumstances the place a overseas state has carried out assaults. In December 2023, the automobile of the Estonian Minister of the Inside Lauri Läänemets was destroyed by unknown individuals in Tallinn. The police later arrested ten suspects. They’re mentioned to have hyperlinks to Russian intelligence. In March 2024, Navalny confidant Leonid Volkov was attacked within the Lithuanian capital Vilnius. The perpetrators hit him with a hammer. They’re additionally mentioned to have acted on behalf of the Kremlin.