Denmark Riots

[Donkey®]

Denmark riots: Dozens more arrested - CNN.com

Originally Posted by article

Denmark riots: Dozens more arrested

POSTED: 5:24 a.m. EST, March 4, 2007


COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Copenhagen police arrested dozens of people early Sunday in a third straight night of unrest triggered by the eviction of squatters from a disputed youth center.

Small groups of protesters threw rocks at police and set fire to trash bins and barricades, but the violence did not escalate into the full-scale riots of the two previous nights.

"We are very happy that the situation was so quiet," police spokesman Lars Borg said. "The people who want to demonstrate have been more ... aware that the things they are doing are not the right things to do."

More than 30 people were arrested near the Christiania hippie enclave after protesters built barricades on a major street and set them on fire around 3 a.m. (0200GMT,) police said.

In all, 643 people have been arrested, including 140 foreigners from Europe and the United States, since the clashes started Thursday. They included 20 Swedes, 20 Norwegians and 25 Germans, police said.

The riots began when an anti-terror squad evicted squatters from the so-called "Youth House," a graffiti-sprayed, red-brick building that for years has served as a popular cultural center for anarchists, punk rockers and left-wing groups.

Dozens of leftist sympathizers from neighboring countries joined the protests, which many saw as symbolic of a wider struggle against a capitalist establishment.

One protester was reportedly wounded in the violence early Saturday, while 25 people were injured the night before as angry youth hurled cobblestones at riot police who responded with tear gas. The street violence was Denmark's worst in 14 years.

The situation calmed down later Saturday, but police reported skirmishes with separate bands of protesters pelting officers with firecrackers and rocks. Police also said some protesters were pulling trash bins into the street, and in some cases setting them on fire. At least one car was also set ablaze.

Built in 1897, the "Youth House" was a community theater for the labor movement and a culture and conference center; Vladimir Lenin was among its visitors. In recent years, it has hosted concerts with performers like Australian musician Nick Cave and Icelandic singer Bjork.

The eviction had been planned since last year, when courts ordered the squatters to hand the building over to a Christian congregation that bought it six years ago.

The squatters refused to leave, saying the city had no right to sell the building.

Of those arrested, 218 have been remanded in custody on preliminary charges of rioting, while 15 people have been released, police said. Others are still awaiting court hearings.

The clashes were Denmark's worst since May 18, 1993, when police fired into a crowd of rioters protesting the outcome of a European Union referendum. Ten of the protesters were wounded.

If these were Muslims rioting I am sure there would be more interest in this...

[kinggovernor]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

If these were Muslims rioting I am sure there would be more interest in this...

they are hippies, everyone knows they are harmless and worthless

[Jas0n]

Originally Posted by kinggovernor

they are hippies, everyone knows they are harmless and worthless

Hippies piss me off. I would be interested to know if their claim has any merit -- was the sale of the building legal? In any case, I thought these people were supposed to be non-violent. So what are they doing assaulting, of all people, police officers?

[Donkey®]

Originally Posted by Jas0n

Hippies piss me off. I would be interested to know if their claim has any merit -- was the sale of the building legal? In any case, I thought these people were supposed to be non-violent. So what are they doing assaulting, of all people, police officers?

It just goes to show that when people have had enough, they can get violent...whether they are hippies, white, muslim, black or other.

[7960]

Originally Posted by Donkey®

If these were Muslims rioting I am sure there would be more interest in this...

because if these were muslims I'm sure they would have caused more death and destruction... they can't even have a fucking kite flying party without someone dying.

A celebration of spring turns ugly - The Boston Globe