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	Third night of violence as anarchists join Danish riot Copenhagen, 05.03.2007 By Stephen Castle, Europe Correspondent Published: 05 March 2007 Denmark's riot-torn capital was hoping to avert further mayhem after the eviction of squatters from a city building prompted a third straight night of trouble during the country's worst street violence for 14 years. More than 600 arrests have been made and police reinforcement have been brought in from Sweden to deal with the violent backlash after an anti-terror squad carried out a long-standing threat to clear the Ungdom-shuset youth centre in Copenhagen's Nørrebro district. The graffiti-covered red-brick building has been a base for anarchists and homeless young people since 1982 and its struggle has become a symbolic one for left-wing groups. Since the police moved in, dozens of sympathisers from neighbouring countries have joined the protests, which have shattered the city's normal tranquillity. In the worst clash on Saturday night, more than 30 people were arrested in the Nørrebro and Christiania districts after protesters built and then lit barricades and hurled Molotov cocktails and cobblestones at riot police who responded with tear gas. The demonstrations and violent protests have reawakened memories of the organised anti-globalisation protests which gathered force in the early part of the decade, leading to widespread destruction in cities from Gothenburg to Genoa. Of the 643 people arrested in Copenhagen, 218 have been remanded in custody on preliminary charges of rioting, while 15 people have been released and others are awaiting court appearances. Police say that 140 of those detained are of foreign origin including 20 Swedes, the same number of Norwegians and 25 Germans. The Danes have tightened border controls. The clashes in the capital are the worst seen in Denmark since 18 May 1993, when police fired into a crowd of rioters protesting against the outcome of a referendum and 10 protesters were injured. This time the violence was prompted by a dispute rooted in the local community. Left-wing activists have been using the Ungdom-shuset youth centre as a base for a quarter of a century. Built in 1897 and once visited by Lenin, the building has served as a community centre for left-wing groups and a magnet for hippies and anarchists. In recent years, it has hosted concerts with performers including the Australian musician Nick Cave and the Icelandic singer Bjork. Initially occupied by young squatters, the new occupants ultimately established a legal right to live there. But the present conflict has been brewing since 1999 when the building was sold by Copenhagen city council. The house was bought by a group called Human A/S, which later sold it on to the Faderhuset Christian organisation. Young people fear the building will be demolished to help regenerate that area. The residents have staged numerous demonstrations to keep their right to occupy the house since last August, when Faderhuset's right to move in was upheld by Denmark's eastern high court. Last December, protests in Copenhagen against the eviction plans turned violent, and more than 300 people were arrested. Yesterday there were signs that local residents were losing patience with the violence. About 40 wreaths and lit candles had been placed in front of the police barricades by the house and two community groups had placed flyers throughout the area calling for an end to the protests. "There is only one victim in this violent inferno: the residents of Norrebro," the leaflet said, followed by a clear message to the rioters: "You are not welcome." www.news.independed.co.uk Address : Euro-Brew Ltd., Hlboká 22, 917 01 Trnava, Slovakia Tel. : +421 33 53 418 53, Fax : +421 33 53 418 52, E-mail : info@eurobrew.sk

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