Man assaults Danish PM Mette Frederiksen on Copenhagen street

Denmark’s Social Democrat Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said the attack on his party leader had shaken everyone close to her. “We all have a responsibility to look after each other and the values our country is built on,” he wrote on X. 

Morten Løkkegaard, who is running as MEP for the center-right Liberal Party in Sunday’s election posted on the same platform that it was crucial for democracy that debate can be held regardless of political viewpoint. 

“Violence and assault undermine the public debate and thus our democracy,” he said. 

Swedish Prime Minister Ulf Kristersson was among international leaders to express his concern for Frederiksen. “Tonight my thoughts and those of my family are with her,” he wrote on X. 

Frederiksen, who has led Denmark since 2019, is a dominant figure on the Danish political scene. She has built a reputation as a deft operator who can build alliances across political divides and has been named as a possible future candidate for the post of European Council president.

Her party is ahead in the latest polling ahead of Sunday’s election. 

This story has been updated.