Denmark PM Mette Frederiksen attacked in Copenhagen square ahead of EU elections

Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was "hit" by a man in a Copenhagen square on Friday (June 7), her office said in an official statement, prompting widespread condemnation from all over Europe. The man was later arrested. Hours later, police said that the accused man will appear in Court on Saturday (June 8).

"Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was hit by a man Friday evening on Kultorvet in Copenhagen. The man was subsequently arrested," the Danish Prime Minister's Office said in astatement.

The attack coincides with a number of similar assaults on politicians from across the party lines on their campaign trail in Germany ahead of this week's European Union elections.

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Last month, on May 15, Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range while greeting supporters after a government meeting in the town of Handlova.

Two witnesses, Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn, told newspaper BT that they had seen Frederiksen arrive at the squarejust before 6:00 pm (1600 GMT).

"A man came by in the opposite direction and gave her a hard shove on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side," the two women told the newspaper.

They added that while it was a "strong push", Frederiksen did not hit the ground.

According to the witnesses cited by Danish newspapers, the prime minister sat down at a nearby cafe following the attack. The eyewitnesses described the man as tall and slim. The alleged attacker tried to get away but was grabbed and pushed to the ground by authorities.

Another witness, Kasper Jorgensen, told newspaper Ekstra Bladet that he had seen the man after he was tackled to the ground.

"They had pacified him, and as he lay there, he looked confused and a little dazed," Jorgensen told the newspaper.

EU chief Charles Michel and European Parliament President Roberta Metsola on Friday slammed the attack on Frederiksen.

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Metsola urged the Danish head of government to "keep strong", while adding in a post on X that "violence has no place in politics".

Michel in turn said he was "outraged by the assault".

"I strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression," the European Council president said in a separate post to X.

EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen described the act as a "despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe", in a statement to social media.

Copenhagen police confirmed that an incident involving the prime minister had occurred but did not provide further details.

"We have one person arrested in the case, which we are now investigating. At this time, we have no further comments or remarks on the case," police said in a statement on X.

(With inputs from agencies)