A Polish man, who is accused of punching Denmark's Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen, informed a Copenhagen court on Tuesday that he does not remember striking her due to being intoxicated. The suspect, whose identity has been withheld by Danish authorities, faces potential imprisonment and deportation if found guilty. The 39-year-old, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, was apprehended immediately following the alleged incident on June 7 in a Copenhagen square. He refutes the accusation.
During his court testimony, the accused stated that he recalled standing directly in front of the Prime Minister, whom he recognized, but denied touching her. "I am standing face to face with the Prime Minister, and then I don't remember anything until I am arrested," he recounted. He attributed his memory lapse to the influence of alcohol and the shock of unexpectedly encountering the Prime Minister. He also mentioned that the day had been "bad" for him without elaborating.
Prime Minister Frederiksen, 46, underwent a medical assessment post-incident and was diagnosed with a contusion on her right shoulder and a minor whiplash injury, according to her office. Prosecutor Line Steffensen disclosed that the suspect has been arrested multiple times for shoplifting since relocating to Denmark five years prior. He is charged with assaulting a public official for allegedly punching Frederiksen on the right shoulder with a closed fist, as per the charge sheet. Additional charges of indecent exposure and fraud related to other incidents have also been filed.
Following the accused's testimony, the court heard from two of Frederiksen's bodyguards and a friend she was scheduled to meet for coffee. One bodyguard described the scene, stating that the man approached the prime minister amidst a crowd. "He says something incomprehensible to her. As he passes her, he delivers a hard punch with his fist on her shoulder," the bodyguard detailed. After the assault, Frederiksen expressed being "saddened and shaken" and did not participate in the final day of campaigning for the EU parliament elections in June. Seeking professional assistance, she shared, "I have gotten help for the first time in my life," during a Danish television interview.
Frederiksen, Denmark's youngest-ever head of government when elected in 2019 at age 41, secured re-election in 2022. Neither the prosecution nor the defense plans to call Frederiksen as a witness during the trial. Special prosecutor Anders Larsson explained, "It's the prosecution authority's assessment that it is not necessary to call her as a witness," adding, "This is an expression of our belief that we can bring the case to a conviction without her giving a statement."
The attack drew widespread condemnation from prominent European politicians, including EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen, who denounced it as a "despicable act which goes against everything we believe and fight for in Europe." This incident occurred amidst a series of assaults on European politicians leading up to the European Parliament elections in June. Notably, Slovakia's Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot four times at close range on May 15 while greeting supporters after a government meeting.
