Furor following assault on Danish prime minister - Frederiksen experiences minor injuries.
On a busy Friday night, Frederiksen, the Danish Prime Minister, faced a disturbing event. In the heart of the Danish capital, a man approached her aggressively and shoved her forcefully against her shoulder. Her balance shifted, and she fell slightly to the side. However, she didn't hit the ground. Instead, the assaulting man tried to escape, but he didn't get too far. Men in well-dressed suits swiftly intervened, grabbed him, and pushed him to the ground.
Frederiksen was hurried to a hospital for a thorough examination, as reported by her office. Reeling from the shocking event, she decided to cancel her appointments for the next day.
Following the altercation, the perpetrator was brought in for questioning on Saturday in Copenhagen. The judge ordered his detention until June 20. The Danish police affirmed in their online platform X that they currently view the assault as unconnected to political motives.
News sources indicated the 39-year-old wasn't even present at the time of his detainment and was evidently intoxicated.
Frederiksen's attack occurred weeks after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was the target of a serious shooting. The attempt on her life drew widespread condemnation across the continent. "I deplore this assault," Chancellor Scholz added in a statement. "Violence should never be used in political debates." French President Macron shared his sentiments with an equally strong message. "I denounce this attack in the strongest terms." He also wished Frederiksen a speedy recovery.
Charles Michel, President of the European Council, dismissed the incident as a cowardly act. Ursula von der Leyen, European Commission President, considered it a disgusting act and stressed that violence had no place in politics. The European Parliament President, Roberta Metsola, criticized the attack as appalling and emphasized the same.
The Minister for the Environment in Denmark, Magnus Heunicke, expressed dismay over the occurrence, stating, "This should not happen in our sacred, secure, and liberated nation."
Slovakian Prime Minister Fico had been wounded gravely in a cabin meeting in Handlova back in mid-May. He needed to be operated upon twice to facilitate his recovery.
Recent days have seen several assaults against politicians in Germany. Matthias Ecke, an SPD European MP, sustained severe injuries after two assailants pummeled him in Dresden. Beforehand, suspects had allegedly beaten a 28-year-old who was putting up posters for the Greens. Two days after, Berlin's Senator for Economic and Technology, Franziska Giffey, sustained minor injuries in an attack. Last weekend, Roderich Kiesewetter, a CDU Bundestag member, was also injured in an assault while working at a campaign stand in Aalen, Baden-Württemberg.
Ever since ascending to power five years ago, Frederiksen has been at the helm of the Danish government. In 2019, she was elected the youngest Prime Minister Denmark has ever witnessed. Her Social Democrats were once again the front-runners in the November 2022 election.
The European election in Denmark, similar to how it takes place in Germany and other EU states, occurs on a Sunday.
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- The incident raised concerns amongst international leaders, with Olaf Scholz, the Head of government of Germany, expressing his outrage over the attack on Frederiksen.
- The European Union, led by Charles Michel and Ursula von der Leyen, strongly condemned the assault upon the Danish Prime Minister, calling it a cowardly act.
- In response to the attack, Robert Fico, the Head of government of Slovakia, who had previously been a victim of a shooting attempt, conveyed his wishes for a swift recovery to Frederiksen.
- The assault on Frederiksen occurred just a few weeks after Emmanuel Macron, the Head of state of France, similarly denounced an attack on a political figure, in this case, Fico.
- The perpetrator of the attack, whose identity remains unclear, is currently under arrest in Copenhagen, as reported by the Danish police.
- The incident took place during a fiercely contested political season, with major European elections scheduled in various countries, including Denmark and Germany.
- With the European election in Denmark fast approaching, BT, one of the country's leading newspapers, stressed the importance of peace and security amidst the heightened political tension.
- The arrest and investigation of the attacker have drawn attention to the escalating trend of political violence in Europe, with numerous instances of assaults on high-profile politicians, such as Matthias Ecke from the SPD in Germany.
