Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen was said to have been shocked and beaten after being hit by a man while walking in central Copenhagen.
The assault took place in a square in the city’s old quarter when a man walked up to the politician and beat her.
The attacker was quickly arrested, but there is still no word on a motive.
European Commission head Ursula von der Leyen called it a “cowardly act that goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.”
The attack on another European leader came less than a month later Slovak Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot multiple times while greeting supporters. He survived and has since undergone surgery.
Two witnesses – Marie Adrian and Anna Ravn – described the assault in Copenhagen to local newspaper BT, saying: “A man walked by and shoved her so hard on the shoulder that she fell to the side.”
They said that although it was a “strong kick”, the prime minister did not hit the ground and she sat down at a nearby cafe to recover.
Mette Frederiksen’s office said the incident had left the politician “in shock” and that she was suffering a “light beating”.
A 39-year-old man will appear at a hearing at Frederiksberg Court on Saturday afternoon in connection with the incident.
The attack occurred two days before Denmark votes in the EU election.
Ms. Frederiksen, leader of the Danish Social Democratic Party, previously attended a European election event with her party leadership candidate Christel Schaldemose.
The Social Democrats are the largest party in Denmark’s coalition government. They still lead the polls, but their support has dropped significantly in recent months.
Danish Environment Minister Magnus Heunicke said on X: “Mette was naturally shocked by the attack. I must say it shook all of us who were close to her.”
EU chief Charles Michel said on X that he was “outraged”.
“I strongly condemn this cowardly act of aggression,” he said.
Ms. Frederiksen, 46, became prime minister in 2019 after taking over as leader of the center-left Social Democratic Party four years earlier. This makes her the youngest prime minister in Danish history.
Soon after, she became became embroiled in a spat with then-President Donald Trump after she rejected his idea of America buying Greenland.
Mr Trump called her “nasty” after she dismissed the proposal for such a land deal as “absurd”.
In 2022, Ms. Frederiksen was heavily criticized by the committee investigating her government’s decision to cull millions of mink during the Covid pandemic.
