Copenhagen’s Mayor Frank Jensen has announced he will resign from his position, after admitting to having harassed several women over the last 30 years.
The 59-year-old also quit his post as deputy chairman of the ruling Social Democrats.
“I am happy for the 30 years I have been in politics,” Jensen told reporters on Monday. “As a person I can’t stand in the way of the Social Democratic party.”
On Sunday, Jensen admitted to having sexually harassed a number of women. He issued apologies on Sunday to Maria Gudme, the woman he has admitted to assaulting in a Nyhavn pub eight years ago, and an anonymous woman he assaulted during a Christmas lunch in 2011.
But he had planned to stay on in his position to help change “a sexist culture in City Hall.” However, Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen said on Monday that the allegations against the mayor were “very serious.”
The mayor claimed that he wanted to be a “positive part” of the process that has begun with the second wave of MeToo. “I want to go from being a part of the problem to being a part of the solution,” he said, adding that he would also limit his alcohol intake when attending future events.
All the parties in the Citizens’ Representation in Copenhagen – with the exception of the Social Democrats – are demanding an independent investigation into the accusations. They also include harassment incidents in 2012 and 2017 at social events that involved Jensen, according to the Jyllands-Posten daily.
Think your friends would be interested? Share this story!
