Fatal attack follows post-match violence
A 32-year-old Swedish police officer has died after being assaulted in Copenhagen following the Norway – Ivory Coast match at the World Championship, according to reports in mass media. The incident occurred in a fan zone after Norway scored the winning goal.
According to witnesses cited by Ekstra Bladet, a group of seven or eight young men supporting Ivory Coast arrived at the fan zone shortly before the confrontation. One witness claimed the group appeared to be looking for trouble rather than watching the match.
Following celebrations by Scandinavian supporters after Norway’s winning goal, a fight reportedly broke out. The victim, identified as Christian Zedig, a Swedish police officer wearing a Norway national team shirt, was allegedly struck on the head, causing him to lose consciousness and fall to the ground.
Witnesses told the newspaper that several attackers then repeatedly kicked and stamped on his head before fleeing the scene. Zedig is survived by his wife and two young daughters. His sister wrote in a tribute:
“My beautiful and genuinely kind-hearted brother. How will we cope without you? Who gave them the right to take you away from us? The grief never ends.”
At the time of writing, the circumstances of the attack and the identities of those involved remain subject to the official investigation.
Migration debate intensifies after the tragedy
The fatal assault has reignited political debate over migration and public security in several European countries. Responding to the incident, Geert Wilders, leader of the Party for Freedom (PVV) in the Netherlands, argued that Europe’s migration policies had failed.
“The woke policy is over. Multiculturalism and mass immigration have been a complete failure. All illegal migrants should be deported and our borders must be protected. We will make Europe great again,” Wilders said.
He also criticised Europe’s established political leaders, saying:
“My message to the old leaders from Macron to Scholz, to Pedro Sánchez is that your time is over. They are history. Woke is over. Multiculturalism and mass immigration have proved to be a complete failure. Most Europeans want secure borders, an end to mass immigration and the deportation of illegal migrants and foreign criminals.”
The incident has also been cited by supporters of the Save Europe Act, a European Citizens’ Initiative calling for stricter migration controls, stronger external borders and faster deportation of illegal migrants and foreign offenders.
Campaign organiser Eva Vlaardingerbroek said:
“We are becoming a minority in our own countries, and we cannot simply wait for politicians to save our lives. If we do not seriously fight for our continent, our religion, our people and our countries, history will remember this period as the time when Western nations were conquered not by invading armies but because the invaders were actively invited in by corrupt elites.”
Save Europe Act campaign continues
Supporters of the Save Europe Act say they have collected around 400,000 signatures, with approximately 100,000people registered as campaign volunteers. According to campaign organisers, a demonstration is planned in Brussels on 15 July, when signatures supporting the initiative will be presented.
The European Commission has previously indicated that elements of the proposed initiative may conflict with European Union law, arguing that measures seeking to halt immigration on the basis of origin could be incompatible with EU non-discrimination principles and fundamental values.
Former European Parliament member Bob Roos criticised the Commission’s position, arguing that it was protecting existing migration policies. Responding to the Commission’s objections, Vlaardingerbroek said the organisers would continue their campaign.
“Our answer is clear. We are not backing down. We are not withdrawing a single word from the Save Europe Act. We are increasing the pressure,” she claimed.
