Danish broadcaster TV 2 has been accused of editing a memorial clip after its live coverage of a one-minute silence for Swedish football fan Christian Zedig appeared to show several hijab-clad women remaining seated during the tribute.
The tribute was held at the Islands Brygge fan zone in Copenhagen before Norway’s World Cup match against Brazil, days after Zedig, a 32-year-old Swedish police officer and father of two, was fatally beaten by a group of African men at the same venue.
Danish MP Nadja Natalie Isaksen posted a side-by-side comparison showing TV 2’s original live broadcast and a later social media version, saying the broadcaster went to commercials after roughly 30 seconds, shortly after cameras showed four or five hijab-clad women who had not stood up. She said the same sequence was removed from the edited clip later uploaded online.
The clip quickly went viral on both Danish and international social media, with several users accusing the women of disrespecting the victim and TV 2 of later censoring the incident.
TV 2 has rejected claims of political editing. In a reply on its TV 2 Sport post, the broadcaster said the ceremony had been shortened for social media and TV2.dk, and that the editing decision was made as part of condensing the sequence rather than concealing any part of the audience reaction.
Zedig was fatally assaulted during a public screening of Norway’s match against Ivory Coast on 30 June. According to Swedish reporting, he was on holiday in Copenhagen and was not on duty when the incident occurred. He had reportedly travelled to the Danish capital before Sweden’s match against France later that evening.
According to an eyewitness account reported by Danish newspaper Ekstra Bladet, a group of seven or eight young African men supporting Ivory Coast arrived during the match and appeared more interested in provoking Scandinavian fans than watching football. The witness said the group taunted Swedish and Norwegian supporters after Amad Diallo equalized for Ivory Coast. When Erling Haaland scored Norway’s late winner, Scandinavian supporters responded verbally.
The confrontation then escalated. Members of the group reportedly threw beer and other objects before rushing towards a nearby table where Swedish and Norwegian fans were sitting. One man allegedly punched Zedig in the head or neck, causing him to collapse immediately, after which several others reportedly ran over and repeatedly stomped on his head while he lay on the ground.
Copenhagen Police initially described the case as a serious assault arising from a disagreement at the scene. After releasing a photograph of the wanted suspect, police said the man surrendered voluntarily on Friday morning. He was arrested and brought before a judge at the Copenhagen District Court’s division at Vestre Prison.
The suspect, a 31-year-old man, has been remanded in custody until 29 July. VG reported that he is charged under section 244 of the Danish criminal code, denies wrongdoing, and refused to give a statement at the custody hearing. The outlet also reported that he was previously sentenced to seven years in prison in 2017 for attempted murder and knife-law offences.
‘He was previously sentenced to seven years in prison in 2017 for attempted murder and knife-law offences’
Some social media and foreign reports have described the suspect as Congolese or of Congolese background, but Danish police have not publicly confirmed his nationality or ethnicity. The case has also not yet proceeded to trial.
The investigation remains active. Copenhagen Police are still seeking witnesses and examining whether more than one person was involved in the fatal beating. In a message cited by Omni, police appealed to anyone who saw the incident or has information about the case to contact investigators.
Zedig’s death has triggered both outrage and mourning in Sweden and Denmark. Swedish police colleagues held a memorial gathering, while his sister paid tribute to him online as a ‘beautiful and thoroughly good-hearted’ brother, writing that the family’s grief was ‘never-ending’.
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