GOVERNMENT TO HALT DRUG-DEALING IN COPENHAGEN SQUATTER QUARTER Copenhagen -- Denmark's rightwing government is determined to close down an illegal, but lucrative open-air hashish market in Copenhagen's anarchistic squatter town known as Christiania, news reports said on Wednesday. In a new report on the future of the now three-decade old Christiania, the government called for intensified police action to rid the so-called "free city" of its multi-million-dollar trade in hashish, marijuana and other soft drugs. The open sale of cannabis still goes on in the open booths along Christiania's notorious "Pusher Street" despite sporadic forays by the narcotics squad backed by riot police. "Christiania's days as a hotbed for hashish are numbered," said Conservative Party law and order spokesman Helge Adam Moeller. Moeller said the 34-hectare area, once the site of an 18th century cavalry base now owned by the defence department, should become a mixed recreational and residential area. Apart from booting out the drug dealers and other criminals, 300 new homes would be built to replace the illegal residences constructed there over the years and Christiania would be made accessible to all Copenhageners. "Parents should be able to take their children to Christiania without fear for their safety," said Defence Minister Svend Aage Jensby. "It's obvious that we can no longer remain silent and watch from the sidelines as Christiania remains a city within the city where lawlessness rules, and neither the inhabitants nor the hashish dealers obey the laws applying to all in Danish society," said Justice Minister Lene Espersen. But many fear that any serious attempt on the part of the authorities to oust the Christianites will be met with violent resistance as on numerous previous occasions. "This is a very harsh sentence and a completely unreasonable punishment of Christiania," said free city spokesman Ole Lykke. Peter Ege, a doctor and drug expert working for the Copenhagen city council, cast doubts on the government's new hardline approach. "The plan will only send buyers and dealers on the lucrative hashish market directly into the arms of other better organized criminal groups," said Ege. Christiania, home to about 900 people, was founded in 1971 by groups of so-called "slumstormers" and various other political activists. The free city grew into a thriving, if untidy alternative community, becoming one of Denmark's biggest cultural centres and tourist attractions. URL: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v03.n719.a09.html Newshawk: Drug Policy Alliance http://www.drugpolicy.org/ Pubdate: Wed, 07 May 2003 Source: Deutsche Presse-Agentur (Germany Wire) Copyright: 2003 Deutsche Presse-Agentur GmbH
so basically they are saying: the severe lack of facism in christiana is very worrying. ;p very poo. denmark sux. facist rightwingers really get my goat. "LEAVE MY GOAT ALONE YOU FACISTS!" yelled digit. lol
There's good news on this one. It seems our right-wing fasttrackers have been too fast, this time. The government's proposals about Christiania are against Danish law, says several people who know about those things. The citizens of Christiania will have very good chances in court. So maybe things will go on as usual, with just a little extra harassment from the police as long as the "law-and-order" facists are in government. Which is not likely to go on forever.
christiana should be praised and heralded as a success of a continueing social experiment... we should be making more little social experiemtns like this. or are we all to arrogant as to asume that our current systems of authoritarian capitalist democracies are the best possable system!?!? churchill said it best: "Democracy may not be perfect but its the best of a bad bunch"