Polish man found guilty of assaulting Danish prime minister
Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is seen speaking in Warsaw
(CNN) — A 39-year-old Polish man has been found guilty of assaulting Danish Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen in June, national broadcaster DR reported on Wednesday.
The man, who DR didn’t name because of legal restrictions, could face four months in prison and deportation from Denmark for six years.
Frederiksen was “hit by a man” in a public square in the capital Copenhagen on June 7, her office said.
The Polish man said he can’t remember what happened, because he was drunk, according to DR.
Frederiksen, the leader of Denmark’s center-left Socialist Democratic party, has served as prime minister since 2019.
Danish and European politicians expressed their shock following the attack in June.
Danish Minister of Environment Magnus Heunicke called for national unity at the time, saying: “This is ugly and unacceptable. Let’s show that Denmark is much better.”
Meanwhile, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen called the attack a “despicable act, which goes against everything we believe in and fight for in Europe.”
The attack came weeks after Slovakian Prime Minister Robert Fico was shot and wounded in what was the first major assassination attempt on a European political leader for more than 20 years.
Political analysts and lawmakers said at the time that it exposed an increasingly febrile and polarized political climate both in Slovakia and across Europe.
This story has been updated with additional details.
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