Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was left shaken after suffering a whiplash injury in an attack at a Copenhagen square on Friday. The Prime Minister was rushed to a hospital for a check-up as she suffered a minor injury.
According to witnesses, a man came by in the opposite direction and gave her a hard shove on the shoulder, causing her to fall to the side. While it was a ‘strong push’, Frederiksen did not hit the ground. They described the man as tall and slim, and said he had tried to hurry away but had not got far before being grabbed and pushed to the ground by men in suits.
The assault has caused a minor whiplash injury. Though the Prime Minister is safe, the incident has left her shaken. Therefore, her Saturday schedule had been cancelled, reported AFP quoting her office.
Danish police on Saturday said a 39-year-old man arrested for hitting Frederiksen will be brought before the Copenhagen district court for questioning to decide if he is to be remanded in custody.
Several world leaders, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, have condemned the attack. Modi expressed deep concern and wished good health to his friend, while Macron denounced the act as “unacceptable” and wished Frederiksen a speedy recovery.
EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen called the attack a “despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe”.
Frederiksen became the country’s youngest prime minister in 2019, and kept the post after emerging victorious in the 2022 general election.
