Mette Frederiksen on the road to recovery after assault
Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen (Socialdemokratiet) is slowly returning to her normal self after the assault she was subjected to last Friday. She stated this on the main stage of Folkemødet (The People’s Political Festival), where instead of giving a traditional speech, she was interviewed by radio host Søren Dahl. “I am okay, but I am not quite myself yet,” says the Prime Minister, adding that she is “on her way” to recovery. The assault took place seven days ago, where a man hit her on the right arm, leaving her shaken. Following the incident, Mette Frederiksen chose to cancel her participation in the Socialdemokratiet’s election party for the European Parliament election on Sunday and further canceled her presence at Folkemødet on Thursday. However, she did arrive at Folkemødet on Friday.
In her party leader’s speech on Thursday, the leader of the Danmarksdemokraterne (The Denmark Democrats), Inger Støjberg, also mentioned the challenges that politicians can face, including episodes of shoving and spitting. She believes that there has been a negative development in the respect for politicians. “It is so destructive when something like this happens. It’s not just me who has been subjected to it,” said Mette Frederiksen on stage. During the interview, several citizens had the opportunity to ask the Prime Minister questions, including about a possible new election after the government’s poor result in the European Parliament election. Enhedslisten (The Unity List) and Dansk Folkeparti (The Danish People’s Party) also urged the Prime Minister to call for an election, but Mette Frederiksen clearly rejected this. “I am also not going to step down as Prime Minister until one day, at a parliamentary election, you no longer want me,” she emphasized.
It is evident that the Prime Minister continues to work towards fully recovering after the unpleasant episode.