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Story Links: Danish Pasting | Crap Arrest Of The Week | Six Nations Celebrations | Ground Force | Air of Defiance | Hate Figures | Putting The Boot In | Trident Detested | SchNEWS in Brief | ...and finally...

DANISH PASTING

Something is rotten in the state of Denmark. The eviction of the four storey Ungdomshuset (literally: Youth House) in Copenhagen sparked three days of rioting and forced the Danish state to close its borders to foreigners coming to join the solidarity struggle.

Born out of the eighties squatter movement, Ungdomshuset was a rallying point for disaffected punk youth in Denmark and achieved a level of international fame through its massive gig space, a regular stop-off for bands on European tours. It also played host to a vegan kitchen, T-shirt printing, cinema, infoshop and was a place to meet and organise. To many who passed through its doors, it assumed a central role in their lives, and lived up to its name with the vast bulk of its scene made up of people under 25.

It was originally given to the squatter scene in 1982 by some quirk of Danish social democracy that requires the state to fund the rent on buildings used by the youth wing of political parties. In effect the punks were given the building in return for stopping squatting elsewhere. However times change, and pushing the gentrification agenda in 2000, the state began making noises about reclaiming the house on Jagtvej 69 and flogging it to developers (for a cut-price £250,000). The house residents responded with a huge banner on the roof saying “For sale along with 500 autonomist stone throwing, violent psychopaths from hell”. Funnily enough local property tycoons decided to steer clear of this golden opportunity.

Enter stage right the Faderhuset – literally Father House – a sect of fanatical right-wing Danish God-botherers whose manifestation on Earth, Ruth Evensen, claims to have a direct line to the Almighty. The Father House gained notoriety in Denmark by teaching creationism in schools and parading around Norrebro (home to Ungdomshuset and the most racially diverse area of Copenhagen) with crucifixes and Danish flags bearing the slogan “Denmark is Christian”. According to Ruth the eviction of the house was nothing more than an expression of God’s will. In a church service after the eviction - guarded by lines of riot police - she triumphantly announced, “The young ones in Norrebro are beset by demons, but we have witnessed just now that God is victorious over Satan. The next step for Faderhuset is to fight the practise of homosexuality, paedophilia, pornography, abortion and satanic toys” (not sure if that includes Lego).

After a five year court battle, Ungdomsghuset lost possession of Jagtvej 69 to Faderhuset on 14th December 2006. For the first time the place was officially squatted and a banner proclaimed, “Troublemakers of the World; We bid you Welcome!” Two days later, there were riots involving 2000 people, described by Danish police as the “worst since the Second World War”.

At this point support began to pour in. The punks’ struggle to live in a free space struck a chord not only in their neighbourhood, but with Danes who are angered by the rightwards lurch their country has taken in recent years (the ruling Liberal party is propped up in their coalition by the overtly racist Danish People’s Party). One activist told SchNEWS, “A lot of people got involved – the whole mood of the neighbourhood changed. Norrebro is an area with a long working class history: it was the birthplace of the Danish workers’ movement. The house was the venue for the declaration of International Women’s Day in 1910, whilst others left it to fight fascism in Spain in the 30s. From being an insular punk scene, Ungdomshuset became a cause celebre with people from all walks of life getting involved.”

PUNK RUCKUS

As in so many places, non-profitable space is under siege in Denmark. Probably the most famous example of “free space” is Christiana, also in Copenhagen, where residents have lived outside the state’s control since the 1960s as part of a ‘social experiment’. It is feared that the eviction of the Youth House is a dry run for an attack on Christiana – itself conveniently situated on prime building land – which the Danish government has seemingly already begun to target (see SchNEWS 513).

A ‘trailer’ for the expected eviction was produced promising big trouble if the state moved in on the punks (See www.youtube.com/watch?v=PcdbeTKnx5s). An explicit warning is given - “Take away our house and we’ll run amok!”. Maybe punk isn’t dead after all...

March began with a surprise eviction raid at seven in the morning, spearheaded by anti-terrorist police in helicopters. Cops abseiled onto the roof and gained entrance with the aid of two giant cherrypickers. The entire building was coated in foam to prevent retaliation with molotov cocktails. A fifty metre area around the house was sealed off and the forty occupants were arrested.

As promised with the slogans “either an Ungdomshus or a battle for an Ungdomshus - the eviction will never be forgiven”, rioting soon broke out across the city, particularly in the immediate area in and around Christiana. Barricades were built and defended, cars set on fire and police vans attacked with molotovs and paving slabs. The eviction caused a major upheaval as people of all ages and a substantial portion of the immigrant youth attacked the police. Our eyewitness told us, “I saw people of sixty setting fire to cars...” The rioting took two days to subside and forced the police to import vans from Sweden as so many of their own were out of action. Anyone who tried to cross the border with even a hint of a mohican was turned back. Over six hundred arrests were made. As our eyewitness drily said, “They wanted to keep people off the street – It didn’t work.”

On 3rd March, police organised a wider crackdown against the anti-authoritarian movement. In raids ostensibly aimed at foreign activists, around 90 Danes were arrested. Most were known activists and they include almost all of Ungdomshuset’s legal team and the local Anarchist Black Cross.

The demolition began on March 5th. Logo-obscured plant machinery driven by masked workers destroyed the building. However, sabotage action has already begun against those companies involved. One firm, 3x34 Transport, backed out of the demolition process after two lorries were burnt out. Ungdomshuset had a worldwide significance in the DIY/Punk scene and there have been solidarity actions all over the world, outside (and inside) Danish consulates.

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A final word from our man in Copenhagen: “Of course people are very upset at the loss of this special, special place, but a lot of people for whom the house meant a lot symbolically came together. It has triggered a whole movement. A lot of people are now organising for the first time. So many people got involved in the last three months. A lot of good things will come out of it - a lot of people who don’t want just one free house but many, many houses.”

* Over 200 people are still locked up: Contact Danish ABC (www.blackcross.dk) or see www.jagtvej69.dk to offer finanicial support.

* For more info on the eviction see: www.thatswhy.dk * www.jagtvej69.dk * www.emoware.org or www.indymedia.dk

* And there’s a shedload of Danish riot porn on Youtube... eg: www.youtube.com/watch?v=epiiE2iRnIU * www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EzbRJhLPiQ

CRAP ARREST OF THE WEEK

For cross-dressing...

Dick Cheney's recent visit to Australia provoked a few hundred protesters out on to the streets of Sydney. The heavy police presence reacted quickly and swooped in to nab some obviously dangerous elements... in the shape of two women street performers. Known as 'Tranny Cops', they dress up as macho cops complete with ridiculous fake handle bar moustaches - so were nicked for impersonating police.

Six Nations Celebrations - With Reservations

Here’s a turn up for the books - a story in which indigenous peoples had their land taken from them, and have successfully reclaimed it.

The Haudenosaunee (“People of the Longhouse” and also known as the Six Nations) are the remainders of various indian tribes who survived the invasion by Europeans into their homelands in north eastern America. They are one of the worlds’ oldest democratically organized societies - under the Great Law of Peace, passed in the twelfth century, the nations have had a directly democratic system of government in which decisions are made by consensus and women have an equal and leading role. Their government was used by Marx and Engels as the model for a functioning classless society (just not very successfully).

In 1784, they were graciously promised six miles of land on either side of the Grand River in Ontario, Canada, as a ‘reward’ by the British Crown for their support during the American ‘War of Independence’. The territory they were actually granted ended up being only a small percentage of that, however, and much of the area is now inhabited by non-indigenous folk.

But over 20,000 Six Nations people still live there despite being increasingly under threat from the usual onslaught of 'development'. But when ancient burial grounds at Kanonhstaton were about to be transformed into suburbia, they fought back, led by their traditional female leadership the Clan Mothers. They reclaimed land on which construction had already begun, and camped out through a freezing winter. A police raid was fought off by thousands of residents from the reserve, who then barricaded the highways and railway lines. They have since had to deal with severe racist agitation from the nearby town of Caledonia, and the friendly local KKK amongst others.

Eventually, after over a year of occupation, the Canadian government capitulated, buying the land and paying off the building firm involved, Henco, to the tune of $16m. The land was then legally placed in the ‘trust’ of the Haudenosaunee, although the reclamation continues anyway cos for some strange reason everyone’s somewhat wary of trusting the government. Perhaps they remember the last century or two which saw systematic attempts to destroy them, from outlawing the traditional Clan government and imposing the Band Council as a ‘European’ form of government in 1924, through to the residential school system which ran from 1874 to 1996 (although most closed by the late 1970s). The schools separated indigenous children from their families and communities, forced them to speak English, be ‘educated’ by righteous Christian churches and subjected to physical and sexual abuse.

The Kanonhstaton action may have positive repercussions for similar struggles all across Canada, where land rights are ignored, the environment is polluted and communities are under attack.

* Contact better_noir@yahoo.co.uk for further information regarding the reclamation and how to donate or raise funds.

* To learn more about indigenous struggles around the world, see www.survival-international.org

GROUND FORCE

Salisbury’s Dial-an-Activist call out to save the 18th Century ‘Secret Garden’ and 150 year old trees (See SchNEWS 577) from a council bent on turning it into a glass office has had results! Locals and activists from further afield have managed to squat the garden and a portacabin on its land, build a tree house and start clearing up the council’s mess. They’ve managed to win a month’s more stay before the chainsaws return, so long as the land is squatted 24/7. Pissed off, the council is ominously putting up double fencing and infa-red cameras, which all means the welcoming, family-friendly community garden still needs urgent help! Dial: 07790 418023 / Email: savethesecretgarden@hotmail.co.uk

AIR OF DEFIANCE

On Tuesday (6th) government plans for more flights from an ever expanding Heathrow airport were opposed by local residents from the villages of Sipson and Harmondsworth. Facing house demolitions, more noise and extra pollution they took direct action storming the stage of an aviation industry conference being addressed by the Transport Minister, Douglas Alexander. The villagers were joining activists from Plane Stupid who breached security at Chatham House to unfurl a banner reading ‘No Third Runway’.

* More at www.planestupid.com

HATE FIGURES

The War on Terror™ (aka War on Freedom) has seen 1,226 people nicked under the Terrorism Act 2000 since the twin towers fell (or were they pushed?) in September 2001. And the in-security services continue to demonstrate their ‘intelligence’ with only 117 of those cases resulting in charges for terrorism offences. Of these a mere 40 have been convicted. With a stunning success rate of around 3%, here at SchNEWS plaza we’re wondering whether there’s better things to do with public money than to bung £2billion to the ‘intelligence community’ each year. Answers on a postcard to Downing St...

Putting The Boot In

On Saturday 24th March at 1pm, Boycott Israeli Goods Campaign will run up the tunnel (of Tottenham Court Road tube) and line up to face the Met’s team of ringers outside the Football Association in Soho Square. They are calling for a sporting boycott of apartheid Israel, where the England team will be playing a Euro 2008 qualifier later that day.

An integral part of the campaign against South African apartheid, sporting boycotts and direct actions at sporting events - like those at the Davis Cup tennis match between Israel and Britain last July, highlight Israel’s ongoing contravention of international humanitarian law and their own apartheid on the Palestinian people. For more see www.bigcampaign.org and www.palestinecampaign.org

TRIDENT DETESTED

Next Wednesday (14th) MPs will be voting to rubber stamp the decision – in reality of course already made long ago - to invest between £20-80,000,000,000 on new weapons of mass destruction. The world’s too dangerous for us not to have the bomb, you see. There’ll be a CND rally in parliament square on the day and, if you fancy donning the appropriate aquatic attire, there will be a fish themed ‘bikes not bombs’ action from 6.30pm. The blockades will be continuing in Faslane nuclear naval base from 8 in the morning. Find out more on various actions at www.tridentvoteday.org.uk

* Ignoring the illegal nature of the Iraqi invasion, a US court martial put away conscientious objector Agustin Aguayo for 8 months earlier last week. Agustin has already been inside since September for refusing to fight in Iraq, so he’s facing another 40 days in the slammer. Convictions of conscientious objectors are on the rise – check http://wri-irg.org for campaign info.

SchNEWS in brief

• MARCH 13 - Demo against deportation of asylum seekers from DR Congo. 12.00pm-2pm, Dallas Court Enforcement Unit in Salford, South Longworthy Road, Salford Quays, Salford, M50 2GF. Tel: 07871 676129 email innocentmuststay@yahoo.co.uk Web www.ncadc.org.uk
• 17 - Climate Action Gathering, Edinburgh, by Rising Tide Scotland, 9am-6pm at 3 Bristo Place, (Next to Forest Cafe, central Edinburgh). www.risingtide.org.uk/scotland
• 19 - Global Day Of Action against the “War On Terror”, on the fourth anniversary of the invasion of Iraq. To find out what’s happening around Britain see http://m19wiki.pbwiki.com
• 19 - Central London Arms Trade Crawl. London Campaign Against Arms Trade (CAAT) will be protesting outside three central London Arms Dealers. 11am: BAE Systems, 6 Carlton Gardens; 12 noon: LRLIH, 80 Haymarket; 1pm: MBDA, 11 Strand. Tel: 07939 159283. Email: londoncaat@riseup.net Web: www.platial.com/caatlondon/map/16017
• The Vortex social centre in Stoke Newington, London, was evicted earlier this week (6). First thing in the morning high court bailiffs and police moved in and turfed everyone out, eventually removing the one enterprising soul who’d hid in the attic and begrudgingly allowing most of the equipment inside to be removed. The old Jazz bar had been occupied since the beginning of the year and had been open for numerous and varied community events. A demo against the eviction has been called for Sat, March 10, from 11am-1pm at the entrance to Abney Park Cemetary, Church Street, London N16.

For full Party & Protest listings updated weekly see www.schnews.org.uk/pap

...and finally...

Terrorists will, apparently, stop at nothing and now even our well-packaged, well-traveled supermarket bargains are under threat! Bombers may be lurking amongst the baked beans and you just can’t be sure who you’ll be rubbing shoulders with at the deli counter these days. Assorted Islamic and other extremists have come around to the benefits of the convenience and low prices offered by yer average supermarket and might be picking up their bomb making equipment from the local Asda. But fear not, cops and MI5 spooks have been busy training checkout staff and their bosses on how to spot the extremist in the aisles.

But don’t leave it to the minumum wage slaves to do the over zealous terror policing – why not have a go yourself? The London met are currently running a radio campaign cleverly designed to increase your unease whilst making calm, reassuring noises at the same time. Here’s the script for the ad:

Female voiceover: "How d’you tell the difference between someone just videoing crowded place and someone who’s checking it out for a terrorist attack? How can you tell if someone’s buying unusual quantities of stuff for a good reason or if they’re planning to make a bomb? What’s the difference between someone just hanging around and someone behaving suspiciously? How can you tell if they’re a normal everyday person, or a terrorist?"

Male voiceover: "The answer is, you don’t have to. If you call the confidential Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321, the specialist officers you speak to will analyse the information. They’ll decide if and how to follow it up. You don’t have to be sure. If you suspect it, report it."

SchNEWS would urge everyone to call the hotline daily with updates on all the non-ordinary behaviour they see... just don’t let your overactive, conditioned-by-fear imaginations run riot...

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