International
In prison the aggressor of the Danish Prime Minister, who perpetrated “a spontaneous act”
The Frederiksberg court (Denmark) decreed pre-trial detention this Saturday, until June 20, for a 39-year-old Polish citizen for assaulting the Danish Prime Minister, Mette Frederiksen, yesterday in the center of Copenhagen, in what the police described as an “isolated and spontaneous act.”
“We see it as an isolated and spontaneous act, and at this moment we do not have the hypothesis of our investigation that it will be a planned attack against the Prime Minister,” the inspector of the Copenhagen Police, Trine Møller, told the Ritzau agency after the hearing with restrictions held today.
The individual, accused of assault against a public official, denied the charges during the hearing, and according to the police report, he was clearly influenced by alcohol and other drugs when he was arrested, a minute after hitting Frederiksen in the arm with his fist and pushing her.
A doctor defined the suspect as a mental imbalance.
Frederiksen was treated last night at the Kingdom Hospital in Copenhagen and was diagnosed with a “slight whiplash,” the Prime Minister’s office reported.
For this Saturday, the planned participation of the prime minister in events in Herlev, Rødovre, Roskilde, Holbæk and Slagelse was canceled.
During the interrogation held last night, the individual, who has lived in Denmark for a few months, admitted to having recognized Frederiksen and said he did not remember much of what happened, but denied having beaten her.
In his statement today before the judge, the individual, who needed an interpreter, showed his sympathy for Frederiksen and assured that she was a “very good” prime minister.
“At the moment our main hypothesis is not that it was a politically motivated act. We don’t have any more comments about the case,” the Police had pointed out in their account on social network X.
The incident has provoked numerous reactions of condemnation and solidarity with the assault by members of the Danish Government and the leaders of the main local political parties and the institutions of the European Union.
Frederiksen, 46, has been head of government since June 2019: the first legislature, at the head of a center-left coalition; and since December 2022, at the head of a center executive with two right-wing forces.
The incident provoked numerous reactions of condemnation and solidarity with the assault by members of the Danish Government and the leaders of the main political parties.
“Oh, no, what a surprise. That’s not Denmark. We don’t attack our prime ministers. I send my best thoughts to Mette,” the vice president and minister of Defense, the liberal Troels Lund Poulsen, wrote on the social network X.
Leaders of other countries, such as the prime ministers of Portugal and Italy and the president of Spain, Pedro Sánchez, also sent messages of support to Frederiksen.
Mette Frederiksen, 46, has been head of government since June 2019: the first legislature, at the head of a center-left coalition; and since December 2022, at the head of a center executive with two right-wing forces.
The high representative of the European Union (EU) for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Josep Borrell, also condemned the attack on the Prime Minister of Denmark, the Social Democratic Mette Frederiksen.
“Shocked by another physical aggression against a democratically elected leader. I condemn it. My solidarity with Mette Frederiksen. Violence will not determine our political options,” Borrell said in a message disseminated through the social network X.
The president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, was also “very shocked” after learning of the aggression against Frederiksen and condemned “this despicable act that goes against everything we believe and what we fight to make Europe.”
“I wish you strength and courage, I know you have plenty,” Von der Leyen told the Danish Prime Minister in X, on account of this attack that occurred in the course of the European Parliament elections from June 6 to 9, after which German politics aspires to remain at the head of the Community Executive.
The president of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola, described the aggression against Frederiksen as “atrocious”, asserted that “violence has no place in politics” and asked the Danish leader to “stain strong,” through a publication in X.
The president of the European Council, Charles Michel, was “indignant” by the aggression committed and “vehergically” condemned this “cowardly” act, also through the social network X.
“All my thoughts are with you and your family, dear Mette, and I hope you will soon overcome this horrible attack,” said Michel, who chairs the EU body that brings together the presidents and prime ministers of the Twenty-seven.
International
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
Not even the wires were left behind at a small grocery store. Before the ground had even stopped shaking, looting and theft began in the areas hardest hit by the double earthquake that struck Venezuela.
Reports of robberies have multiplied in the coastal state of La Guaira, located near Caracas and now transformed into a landscape of collapsed buildings and debris.
Videos circulating on social media show groups of people removing boxes of household appliances from a damaged store. Other images show similar boxes being carried on top of vehicles and motorcycles.
Social media platforms have also been filled with accusations against police officers and military personnel who allegedly stole from homes and even from victims who died during the disaster.
A branch of a major pharmacy chain was looted, along with supermarkets and other businesses. Some residents have described the situation as “disaster tourism,” while others say the looting reflects hunger and desperation among people who lost everything in a country already facing a prolonged economic crisis.
“Is it fair that our own people turn against our own people?” said María Esther Bernal, 71, who rented commercial spaces to Chinese merchants, all of which were looted. “They left nothing behind, not even the wallpaper. They even took the cables,” she said.
“Next door, a man died. He was Chinese. People walked over his body while they looted the place. It was a supermarket,” she added.
An AFP journalist witnessed looting in La Guaira since Thursday, following the earthquakes.
Jenifer Mayora, 34, defended some of the actions, saying that “the things people took were because the owners of the stores allowed us to take them.”
However, she criticized the limited response from authorities. “I have been waiting for a mattress so my children can sleep,” she said.
Residents have expressed anger over what they describe as a slow and insufficient response from authorities after the double earthquake, which has left around 1,450 people dead and tens of thousands missing.
Communities are demanding not only faster rescue operations in La Guaira, but also stronger security measures and urgent assistance with food, water, and medicine.
International
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
Up to 6.76 million people could be affected by the devastating earthquakes that struck Venezuela on June 24, according to an assessment released by the International Organization for Migration (IOM), a United Nations agency.
The organization said the projections are based on available population data and damage assessments, and include up to two million people living in Caracas, the country’s capital.
The estimates highlight the potentially massive humanitarian impact of the disaster, the IOM warned.
Entire buildings collapsed in La Guaira, a coastal area north of Caracas, following the powerful twin earthquakes that reached magnitudes of 7.2 and 7.5 on Wednesday.
The national death toll has risen to 920, while rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the rubble in coastal regions and other affected areas.
UN humanitarian chief Tom Fletcher told AFP on Friday that more than 50,000 people were reported missing.
The IOM also revealed that it worked with Microsoft’s artificial intelligence laboratory on an initial satellite mapping analysis, which showed that 31.5% of buildings in the town of Catia La Mar had suffered damage.
Authorities and international rescue teams continue operations as Venezuela faces one of its largest humanitarian emergencies in recent years.
International
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on Thursday expressed his condolences to the people of Venezuela following the two devastating earthquakes that struck the country and highlighted the ongoing coordination between UN humanitarian teams and interim President Delcy Rodríguez.
Speaking during the UN’s daily press briefing, spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said Guterres was deeply saddened by the loss of life and widespread destruction caused by the disaster.
“The Secretary-General is deeply distressed by the loss of life and the widespread devastation caused by the earthquakes that struck Venezuela yesterday. He extends his heartfelt condolences to the families of the victims and wishes a speedy recovery to those injured,” Dujarric stated.
Venezuela was struck on Wednesday by two powerful earthquakes measuring 7.2 and 7.5 in magnitude. According to official figures, the disaster has left at least 164 people dead and 971 others injured.
Dujarric noted that preliminary reports indicate significant damage across several states, including the capital, Caracas. Numerous casualties have been reported, while other individuals remain trapped beneath collapsed structures or are still missing.
“Critical infrastructure has been damaged and essential services have been disrupted,” the spokesperson said.
The United Nations confirmed that its humanitarian team remains in close contact with interim President Delcy Rodríguez and other relevant authorities as emergency operations continue.
To support relief efforts, the UN has established a coordination center in Caracas and is assisting local authorities to ensure that humanitarian aid reaches affected communities as quickly and efficiently as possible.
Guterres also welcomed the expressions of solidarity and offers of assistance from countries around the world that responded following news of the disaster, underscoring the importance of international cooperation in addressing the humanitarian emergency.
Looting Spreads in Venezuela’s Hardest-Hit Areas After Deadly Earthquakes
UN warns Venezuela earthquakes could affect up to 6.76 million people
United Nations Coordinates Relief Efforts as Venezuela Death Toll Rises After Twin Quakes
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