Copenhagen, June 8 (IANS/DPA) Leaders have strongly condemned an assault on Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in a central Copenhagen square, adding to the alarming rash of political violence rattling Europe.
European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called it a “despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe” in a post on the social media platform X.
Charles Michel, the president of the European Council, said he was “outraged” by the “cowardly act of aggression.”
Frederiksen, 46, was left “shocked by the incident” on Friday evening in which she was hit while in Kultorvet square, her office said, but further details on possible injuries were not provided.
Police said they arrested a 39-year-old man after the assault and that he would appear in a Copenhagen court on Saturday. They have not said how the attack unfolded. Witnesses told Danish media that the prime minister was able to walk away from the scene.
The incident comes as the EU’s 27 countries elect hundreds of members of the European Parliament during four days of voting that began on Thursday. Voters in Denmark go to the polls on Sunday.
There has been a spat of attacks on elected officials at all levels in neighbouring Germany. Mayors, members of the national parliament and local councils, as well as candidates, have been punched, stabbed, spat at and harassed, prompting Chancellor Olaf Scholz to say the country’s democracy was under threat.
Last month the EU was stunned by the shooting of Slovakia’s prime minister, Robert Fico, in an assassination attempt. The gravely injured leader was taken home from hospital a week ago to continue his recovery there.
Well-wishes, and warnings, pour in
“Mette is a very good colleague and wise partner. I sincerely hope that she is unharmed,” wrote Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson on X. “An attack on a democratically elected leader is also an attack on our democracy.”
Roberta Metsola, the president of the European Parliament, wrote: “Tonight’s assault on the Danish prime minister is appalling. Violence has no place in politics. Keep strong, Mette!”
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau posted: “Disturbing to hear that Prime Minister Frederiksen was attacked in a public square in Copenhagen. We cannot dismiss or normalize acts of aggression like this. It’s dangerous to our democracies.”
Five years as prime minister
In recent days Frederiksen, a centre-left Social Democrat, had been out and about to support her party’s top candidate in the European elections, Christel Schaldemose, including on Friday.
However, Schaldemose told Danish news agency Ritzau that the attack was not related to campaign activities.
Frederiksen was elected leader of the Social Democrats in 2015, succeeding Helle Thorning-Schmidt who in 2011 became Denmark’s first female prime minister.
At the age of 41, Frederiksen became Denmark’s youngest-ever prime minister after besting her main centre-right rivals in the 2019 general election.
–IANS/DPA
dan/
Disclaimer
The information contained in this website is for general information purposes only. The information is provided by TodayIndia.news and while we endeavour to keep the information up to date and correct, we make no representations or warranties of any kind, express or implied, about the completeness, accuracy, reliability, suitability or availability with respect to the website or the information, products, services, or related graphics contained on the website for any purpose. Any reliance you place on such information is therefore strictly at your own risk.
In no event will we be liable for any loss or damage including without limitation, indirect or consequential loss or damage, or any loss or damage whatsoever arising from loss of data or profits arising out of, or in connection with, the use of this website.
Through this website you are able to link to other websites which are not under the control of TodayIndia.news We have no control over the nature, content and availability of those sites. The inclusion of any links does not necessarily imply a recommendation or endorse the views expressed within them.
Every effort is made to keep the website up and running smoothly. However, TodayIndia.news takes no responsibility for, and will not be liable for, the website being temporarily unavailable due to technical issues beyond our control.
For any legal details or query please visit original source link given with news or click on Go to Source.
Our translation service aims to offer the most accurate translation possible and we rarely experience any issues with news post. However, as the translation is carried out by third part tool there is a possibility for error to cause the occasional inaccuracy. We therefore require you to accept this disclaimer before confirming any translation news with us.
If you are not willing to accept this disclaimer then we recommend reading news post in its original language.
