Danish police braced for further street riots

RTE News
Friday, 2 March 2007 15:18

Police reinforcements have been called in from around Denmark to the capital, Copenhagen, where more than 200 people were arrested yesterday after clashes with activists over squatter evictions.

Thousands of youths attacked police after a dawn raid on a youth centre to evict squatters from what has been a haven for rebels, punks and squatters since 1982 when it was given to them by city authorities.

17 foreigners were arrested, including nine Germans and others from France, Norway, Poland, Lithuania, New Zealand and the United States. Three police officers and three demonstrators were injured during the clashes.

Activists threw stones, bottles, pots of paint, firecrackers, Molotov cocktails, and set up barricades, lit fires and overturned vehicles to protest the eviction.

Danish media compared the scenes to a warzone, dubbing the incidents 'street wars'.

Riot police used tear gas in an attempt to disperse the demonstrators, some of whom were masked.

Sympathy protests in Germany

A police spokesman said the force was 'surprised by the extent of the conflict and the demonstrators' wild violence'.

The majority of Danish politicians, with the exception of the extreme-left, have hailed the police action and denounced the activists' violence.

Meanwhile, 16 people have been arrested in Germany after sympathy protests in Hamburg and Hanover. The Danish foreign ministry says demonstrations supporting the activists were held in front of its diplomatic missions in Stockholm, Oslo, Berlin, Hamburg, Hanover, Flensburg and Vienna.

The Ungdomshuset youth centre was recently sold to a fundamental Christian group which has demanded the eviction of the youths. An August 2006 court ruling ordered the occupants to be evicted from the centre, which they insist belongs to them.

The building has been a popular hangout for Copenhagen's alternative crowd, offering concerts, plays and debates. Big stars such as Icelandic pop artist Bjork have performed at the venue.

The Ungdomshuset website says the group is run along five simple guidelines: no sexism, no 'heterosexism' - prejudice in favour of heterosexuals - no racism, no hard drugs and no violence.