Storm on Christiania

international | miscellaneous | news report

Wednesday July 30, 2003 09:33

by Corvuspica

Danish Police get ready to crush the Free Town of Christiania

Danish police, having been embarrassed by the presence of the autonomous free town of Christiania for decades, are preparing to attack the town under the guise of ridding it off its thriving cannabis trade.

Danish Police are tired of the prodigious cannabis dealing in the Free Town of Christiania in Copenhagen. The town will now be stormed, according to Jyllands-posten.

- We have harassed dealers and buyers for a long time. We will continue this approach, but at some stage we have to draw the line. We are going to clear up Pusherstreet when we deem it appropriate. It will be done, once and for all, according to Chief Inspector Kai Vittrup of the Copenhagen police. Vittrup will not reveal when the storm on Christiania will occur, but confirms that it will be an extensive operation.

Police will create a ring around the entirety of the so-called Free Town, mainly to prevent demonstrators and other troublemakers from coming to the aid of Pusherstreet`s cannabis dealers
Police are also expecting that an operation against Christiania will trigger unrest in other areas of Copenhagen, and will keep a large force in reserve to deal with this.

Police never enter Christiania with fewer than 60-70 police officers, but recognise that this is insufficient when they once and for all will clean up the towns cannabis trade.

-This operation will be of a completely different magnitude and we will need reinforcements from other police districts. However, this operation will be precise and effective. When we have cleared up Pusherstreet, we are there to stay. We will maintain a force comprised of between 30 and 60 police officers there around the clock, until the area becomes law abiding.

-We cannot remove the cannabis trade just by clearing out Pusherstreet. It will find other channels and be spread out across town. The opportunity to outlaw the cannabis clubs will make it easier for us to get to the dealers, however, Vittrup said in a statement to Jyllands-posten.

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Comments (3 of 3)

Christiania copenhagen.

by just in case you didnt know either

Wed Jul 30, 2003 11:25

About 1,000 people live in Christiania on a permanent basis. Some of them manufacture bicycles, make small furnaces, live in houses they have designed themselves and enjoy life in one of Copenhagen's most beautiful residential areas. There are also those who simply come to have a look for themselves or to buy and sell hash on Pusher Street.

Christiania is a tourist attraction visited by as many as 500,000 people annually. There are restaurants, coffee bars, shops and music venues, which attract people from all over Denmark. Liberal Jutlanders and tourists alike love Christiania for its positive, anarchistic spirit.
Some feel intimidated by the alternative community, because that same anarchistic spirit also seems to attract society's more seedier elements. Others are provoked by the fact, that the Christianites live almost rent-free in a green area of the city in specially designed houses - and to top things off, they don't even pay taxes like the rest of us.

Christiania was founded in 1971 by hippies as part of the Danish counter-culture movement. The area (formerly home to military barracks) had at the time recently been vacated by the Danish army. A motley crew of hippies, artists, political activists and society's misfits moved in and settled down - thus creating a controversial point of conflict, that to this day can still cause quite a stir among especially law-and-order politicians.
Most Danes, however, couldn't care less as long as Christiania keeps it's problems with bikers, drugs or the police to herself. After all, they seem to acknowledge, it's better to maintain the alternative community as just that - a refuge for the misfits and a loophole for freedom and creativity.

Warning: Christiania is not Tivoli! If you are easily offended or feel intimidated by large free-roaming dogs, drug peddlers 'doing their thing' in the open and people with a total disregard for 'Miss Manners' - you'd better keep out.
For the more easy-going Christiania holds quite a few pleasant surprises.

Brief summary of conflict at Christiania:

1971:
Free city founded by hippies.
1973:
Christiania is ensured status as a social experiment.
1975:
The Folketing (Danish parliament) decides that Christiania is to be cleared by April 1st, 1976.
1978:
Supreme Court rules that Christiania is to be cleared.
1979:
Ban imposed on heavy drugs.
1987:
Biker-gangs are finally thrown out.
1989:
The Folketing passes a law "regarding use of Christiania area", demanding that conditions be legalised. For example, all pubs were required to have a liquor licence.
1991:
Local community plan passed for Christiania.
1996:
Free city celebrates its 25th anniversary on September 26th, 1996.
Else Marie Brakchi

Yeah

by VL - some leninist party

Wed Jul 30, 2003 21:14

i was in christania last year, and watched 60-70 riot police tramp around the place in full gear in front of everyone. Christiania must be one of the most successful autonomous zones, but like all such places it will eventually come into conflict with the state. This is the problem with autonomism, it does not provide a permanent solution. Am i right?

Yes but...

by Andrew

Thu Jul 31, 2003 15:07

Your obviously right that short of a global revolution such autonomous spaces will always be contested by the state. But I'm not sure this tells us very much beyond the obvious. The same in fact can be said for on the street paper sales, every few years the gardai go through a phase of hassling sellers at the established places and establishing new sites is also often contested.

So if you belive that the creation of an autonomus space or a paper sale is the GOAL rather then a method your in for a disappointment.

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Storm on Christiania

Comments (3 of 3)