Copenhagen: Riots during a "Reclaim the streets" for Ungdomshuset
i. | 24.09.2006 22:36 | Culture | Free Spaces | Social Struggles | World
I'm an activist from Denmark who participated in a "Reclaim The Streets" party for Ungdomshuset (The Youth House). I have used Ungdomshuset for a few years as a place for great parties and cool athmosphere. I hate the fact that cristian fundamentalists are to take it over and i've been to many protests supporting the place. None of them like the one today. None of them escaleting to this degree of violence.
At the beginning of this protest we started from Skt. Hans Torv where the sound van came in and kicked the party alive. We were about 500 protesters but many people joined in when they saw the cool partying. Noone wore masks or did anything provocative at the police present. Then the party started moving in the direction of the inner city. The day before we had a great protest walking all the way through town with a nice athmosphere the whole way and no confrontations of any kind. Because of that noone anticipated any troubles.
However as soon as we went to cross the brigde leading to the inner city the police massively blocked the road standing in riot gear and using armored cars. This of course scared the protesters a little bit standing in front of what looked like an army ready to charge. The speakervan informed people that they should stay calm and that this didn't affect the party. The party then simply unfolded itself on the bridge. A lot of people seemed to have joined in on the protest. People were handing out sandwiches and the sunny wheather only hightened the mood. The police didn't seem to want to start any trouble though they occasionally drove their cars back and forth a little bit.
After an hour or so the demo decided to walk back the way it came. The police then started to drive their cars into the crowd pushing it along. This was of course a bit provocative but soon after we lost them walking trough some of the smaller roads near another brigde into the inner city. As soon as we got near another brigde two police drove angrily near the demo and riot cops jumped out of the vans. Then they charged the crowd with their batons. A few people threw whatever bottles they had at the officers but most just ran away. This triggered a series of attacks from all sides where the police charged with batons penning people into a little street called Rantzausgade. Me an a friend just saw a whole in their formation and jumped out through the police. We could then see police chargin the penned in people who were not fast enough to run away with batons from all sides beating and kicking people unable to move. This crowd were later mass arrested. Note that as far as i could see this crowd consisted solely of protesters from the demo who didn't run fast enough. The ones who actually did throw stuff at the police were mostly able to run away in time.
This police assault triggered a lot of anger in many of the protesters. At first some tried to charge down a side street near the police pen but the police hid in their armored cars wich didn't take much note of the hail of rocks being thrown at them. Then people started building barricades in the streets close to the police pen and hurl rocks at the police cars as they passed through. The police then drove their armoured van at very high speed through the crowd forcing people to litterally jump for their lives. Had anyone tripped or fallen there was no way the van would have been able to stop in time. This of course angered people even more and some local youths decided to join in the fighting as well. Though some attempts were made, people were unable to free their comrades. However some of the people penned in for a mass arrest kicked down a gate to a backyard an managed to escape that way.
After an hour or so the riots died out.
This has been the bigger riots in Denmark and as far as i've seen its solely due to provocative police behavior. Had the protest been allowed to go on i don't think anything violent would have happened. The riots looked improvised and unorganised. Far more importantly the use of armored police vans as battering rams is clearly a disrespect for peoples lives! Had anyone been run over i'd never forgive them.
These riots are a small taste of what's to come if a solution is not found. There is no way the house will be given up without a fight!
http://indymedia.dk/newswire.php?story_id=663
At the beginning of this protest we started from Skt. Hans Torv where the sound van came in and kicked the party alive. We were about 500 protesters but many people joined in when they saw the cool partying. Noone wore masks or did anything provocative at the police present. Then the party started moving in the direction of the inner city. The day before we had a great protest walking all the way through town with a nice athmosphere the whole way and no confrontations of any kind. Because of that noone anticipated any troubles.
However as soon as we went to cross the brigde leading to the inner city the police massively blocked the road standing in riot gear and using armored cars. This of course scared the protesters a little bit standing in front of what looked like an army ready to charge. The speakervan informed people that they should stay calm and that this didn't affect the party. The party then simply unfolded itself on the bridge. A lot of people seemed to have joined in on the protest. People were handing out sandwiches and the sunny wheather only hightened the mood. The police didn't seem to want to start any trouble though they occasionally drove their cars back and forth a little bit.
After an hour or so the demo decided to walk back the way it came. The police then started to drive their cars into the crowd pushing it along. This was of course a bit provocative but soon after we lost them walking trough some of the smaller roads near another brigde into the inner city. As soon as we got near another brigde two police drove angrily near the demo and riot cops jumped out of the vans. Then they charged the crowd with their batons. A few people threw whatever bottles they had at the officers but most just ran away. This triggered a series of attacks from all sides where the police charged with batons penning people into a little street called Rantzausgade. Me an a friend just saw a whole in their formation and jumped out through the police. We could then see police chargin the penned in people who were not fast enough to run away with batons from all sides beating and kicking people unable to move. This crowd were later mass arrested. Note that as far as i could see this crowd consisted solely of protesters from the demo who didn't run fast enough. The ones who actually did throw stuff at the police were mostly able to run away in time.
This police assault triggered a lot of anger in many of the protesters. At first some tried to charge down a side street near the police pen but the police hid in their armored cars wich didn't take much note of the hail of rocks being thrown at them. Then people started building barricades in the streets close to the police pen and hurl rocks at the police cars as they passed through. The police then drove their armoured van at very high speed through the crowd forcing people to litterally jump for their lives. Had anyone tripped or fallen there was no way the van would have been able to stop in time. This of course angered people even more and some local youths decided to join in the fighting as well. Though some attempts were made, people were unable to free their comrades. However some of the people penned in for a mass arrest kicked down a gate to a backyard an managed to escape that way.
After an hour or so the riots died out.
This has been the bigger riots in Denmark and as far as i've seen its solely due to provocative police behavior. Had the protest been allowed to go on i don't think anything violent would have happened. The riots looked improvised and unorganised. Far more importantly the use of armored police vans as battering rams is clearly a disrespect for peoples lives! Had anyone been run over i'd never forgive them.
These riots are a small taste of what's to come if a solution is not found. There is no way the house will be given up without a fight!
http://indymedia.dk/newswire.php?story_id=663
i.
Additions
more on police attack on rts
25.09.2006 18:14
im an activist from nottingham who was on the previous days demonstration and part of the rts yesterday.
the previous days demonstration was an enormous show of strength (between 3 and 5000 people) and there was prior agreement that it would be kept peaceful despite provocation from police - the reason for these demonstrations is about maintaining autonomous spaces in copenhagen and keeping them free from political police and business interference and control. Not just the youth house but also christiania. Although there is tremendous anger that these spaces are under threat it was felt that the alternative communities needed the support of more mainstream communities in these struggles to defend our spaces and that a ruck with the police would not help. This was totally observed on the saturday.
the police were there in numbers but on the whole not in peoples faces and as far as i am aware there were no arrests.
The next day we had far fewer numbers on the streets, maybe 500 but the police were there in much greater force and up for confrontation. After the party moved from the bridge into the side streets it was led by black bloc to protect it.
What follows is by no means an excuse for police brutality which was absolut (there very existence is offensive) but a comment on tactics.
As the rts with the sound system in the middle moved from the side streets into the middle of a major street junction and took it, we realised the front of the march had sped up and disappeared around a corner - for 5 minutes the situation was unclear with about 300 people blocking the road (not enough) and advancing riot vans and police - we got reports of some arrests and were trying to figure out what to do when 150 black block came running back round the corner to huge cheers.......followed by maybe 12 running riotcops. when they reached the main party blocking the road the bloc stopped turned round and the riot police were met with a small hail of bottles
they had to retreat under this but this was the only excuse needed for a full assault on the party - some of the bloc and some easily mobile people managed to retreat but a woman in a wheelchair people with kids in trailer bikes the soundsystem older people and various less aware or less mobile people took the brunt of the charge.
this action far from protecting the party massively exposed the most vulnerable elements and was a major fuck up as far as im concerned
for blackbloc tactics to be effective they needed to be highly conscious and what happened at that crucial point in yesterdays rts couldnt have been less conscious
possibly something to do with the high number of internationals present who didnt understand the loocal situation and maybe werent tuned in to local organisers so weel
but most people had been in copenhagen for several days at least and perhaps should have known better
a few more points of info
over 250 people were arrested (3/5ths non danish)
many people were hurt, 1 person in hospital with a broken arm
3 people facing serious prison sentences (irish swedish and german)
the rest of the evening continued with your usual riot psycho police madness
lets keep fighting to spread our autonomus spaces but with a higher level of tactical consciousness than the police which lets be honest isnt that difficult
love and rage
panarchy
the previous days demonstration was an enormous show of strength (between 3 and 5000 people) and there was prior agreement that it would be kept peaceful despite provocation from police - the reason for these demonstrations is about maintaining autonomous spaces in copenhagen and keeping them free from political police and business interference and control. Not just the youth house but also christiania. Although there is tremendous anger that these spaces are under threat it was felt that the alternative communities needed the support of more mainstream communities in these struggles to defend our spaces and that a ruck with the police would not help. This was totally observed on the saturday.
the police were there in numbers but on the whole not in peoples faces and as far as i am aware there were no arrests.
The next day we had far fewer numbers on the streets, maybe 500 but the police were there in much greater force and up for confrontation. After the party moved from the bridge into the side streets it was led by black bloc to protect it.
What follows is by no means an excuse for police brutality which was absolut (there very existence is offensive) but a comment on tactics.
As the rts with the sound system in the middle moved from the side streets into the middle of a major street junction and took it, we realised the front of the march had sped up and disappeared around a corner - for 5 minutes the situation was unclear with about 300 people blocking the road (not enough) and advancing riot vans and police - we got reports of some arrests and were trying to figure out what to do when 150 black block came running back round the corner to huge cheers.......followed by maybe 12 running riotcops. when they reached the main party blocking the road the bloc stopped turned round and the riot police were met with a small hail of bottles
they had to retreat under this but this was the only excuse needed for a full assault on the party - some of the bloc and some easily mobile people managed to retreat but a woman in a wheelchair people with kids in trailer bikes the soundsystem older people and various less aware or less mobile people took the brunt of the charge.
this action far from protecting the party massively exposed the most vulnerable elements and was a major fuck up as far as im concerned
for blackbloc tactics to be effective they needed to be highly conscious and what happened at that crucial point in yesterdays rts couldnt have been less conscious
possibly something to do with the high number of internationals present who didnt understand the loocal situation and maybe werent tuned in to local organisers so weel
but most people had been in copenhagen for several days at least and perhaps should have known better
a few more points of info
over 250 people were arrested (3/5ths non danish)
many people were hurt, 1 person in hospital with a broken arm
3 people facing serious prison sentences (irish swedish and german)
the rest of the evening continued with your usual riot psycho police madness
lets keep fighting to spread our autonomus spaces but with a higher level of tactical consciousness than the police which lets be honest isnt that difficult
love and rage
panarchy
panarchy
e-mail:
panarchy(at)planet-save.com
one more thing
25.09.2006 20:31
directly after/as the police charged
one unlucky blackblocker got pigged by 8 undercover police who had been standing around the edges of the demonstration because he retreated in the wrong direction
during the melee it wasnt apparent that they were all police and until it was too late to intervene it seemed he was been successfully dearrested
this is maybe useful info for local danish activists for future events
kisses
p
one unlucky blackblocker got pigged by 8 undercover police who had been standing around the edges of the demonstration because he retreated in the wrong direction
during the melee it wasnt apparent that they were all police and until it was too late to intervene it seemed he was been successfully dearrested
this is maybe useful info for local danish activists for future events
kisses
p
panarchy
e-mail:
panarchy(at)planet-save.com
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