Trial Against Polish Man for Assault on Danish PM Frederiksen Begins

The trial of a Polish man accused of punching Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen began, with Frederiksen expected to be absent. The man, charged with striking her in the shoulder causing minor injuries, also faces other charges. The trial is expected to conclude Wednesday.

The trial of a Polish man accused of assaulting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen started on Tuesday, with the Prime Minister not expected to testify in court.

Frederiksen suffered a minor whiplash injury when she was punched in the shoulder on June 7, and subsequently canceled her schedule for several days.

According to the Ekstra Bladet newspaper, the 39-year-old accused man, who remains unidentified, allegedly hit Frederiksen's right shoulder with a clenched fist, causing her to lose balance but not fall. Defense attorney Henrik Karl Nielsen stated in court that his client pleaded not guilty. The defendant, a resident of Denmark for five years, admitted he was 'intoxicated by alcohol but not drunk' and encountered Frederiksen by chance, as reported by Danish public broadcaster DR.

Frederiksen was on a campaign break for her Social Democratic Party during the European Parliament elections when the incident occurred in central Copenhagen. The attack was unrelated to the campaign. The man has been in pretrial custody since the incident and faces additional charges, including sexual harassment and fraud. He has confessed to these other offenses.

Frederiksen, 46, has led Denmark's Social Democratic Party and served as Prime Minister since 2019. She drew significant attention for her handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, notably the controversial decision to cull all of Denmark's captive mink population to mitigate virus spread.

The trial is set to conclude on Wednesday, though the timing of the verdict remains unclear.

(With inputs from agencies.)