According to the Prime Minister’s office, Fredriksen suffered a “slight blow to the neck” after a man assaulted her on Kultorvet in Copenhagen on Friday evening. A 39-year-old Polish man was produced for detention on Saturday. He is charged under Section 119 of the Criminal Code on violence or threats against public servants. The charge states that he must have hit Frederiksen in the right shoulder with a clenched fist so that she lost her balance. – Not quite myself On Monday, the Social Democratic Prime Minister spoke for the first time about the assault, in an interview with Danmarks Radio, DR. – I’m not quite myself yet, says a visibly moved Frederiksen in the interview. Mette Frederiksen at the opening of the migration conference in Copenhagen on 6 May. Photo: Mads Claus Rasmussen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP / NTB She says that although it hurt to be beaten, it is the shock and surprise that has left its mark the most. – It settled a little heavier and a little deeper in me. It gave me a big shock, says Frederiksen and adds: – In a situation like that, you need time with your family and those close to you. Denmark’s Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen and Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Støre embrace each other during the Nordic summit in Stockholm in May. Photo: Ole Berg-Rusten / NTB She also sees the shock as a reaction to an accumulation of several things over time, such as threats and a harsh tone on social media that has steadily gotten worse. – Especially after the war started in the Middle East. There is a lot of shouting in public spaces and people behaving very, very aggressively. So maybe that was the last straw, the Prime Minister describes. A movement in society Frederiksen also believes that the assault can be seen as an expression of a tendency in society. – There is something brewing in our society, and I can feel it in our colleagues too. We will find ourselves in more than we usually do, and that is not reasonable, she says. The Prime Minister says she does not think the violence was politically motivated, but that she was still beaten because the man recognized her as Prime Minister. – I was beaten as a human being, but there is also no doubt that it was the prime minister who was beaten, so in that way it becomes a form of attack on all of us. Comment field hat The DR journalist asks Frederiksen what she thinks about the fact that several editors have said that they had to smoke the comment fields during cases about the attack, because many paid tribute to the perpetrator. Frederiksen in a helicopter in connection with a visit to the Karup military camp on 7 March. Photo: Mikkel Berg Pedersen / Ritzau Scanpix / AFP / NTB – I think it is an expression that there are some boundaries that are moving very, very quickly in society now, that they can enjoy violence and encourage it. This does something to me as a person – and to others who have been in similar border-crossing situations, she says. Frederiksen claims “everyone across parties” sees that the boundaries are shifting violently. She points to corona, and again to the war in the Middle East, as a crossroads. – I have never experienced anything like this before. There is a movement underway. And I think it is difficult to claim anything other than that social media does not help our democracy when these situations arise. On the contrary, they encourage hatred and more polarisation, claims the Prime Minister. – Accelerated over a few years While she has always been happy and proud that Denmark is a country where the prime minister can cycle to work, she is sometimes afraid that a change has taken place. – I am so sorry for that. This is not the first time this has happened around politicians. It has accelerated over a few years, she says. Only a few weeks ago, Slovakia’s Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and seriously wounded in an assassination attempt. Politicians in Norway have also experienced increasing incitement and harassment. PST has said they will try more harassment cases in court. In March, Sylvi Listhaug (Frp) said that she felt threatened by demonstrators who allegedly followed her through the center of Oslo. – Every time a little more happens, we become a little safer, get a little more protection or a little more distance. And I would rather have a Denmark where the prime minister can cycle to work without being afraid of it, says Frederiksen to DR. Published 11.06.2024, at 14.58
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