BENNO HANSEN

Alive in Copenhagen, Denmark

Articles Posted: 150 Links Seeded: 2250

Member Since: 2/2006 Last Seen: 5/17/2012

New squat: Dortheavej, Copenhagen

Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:45 PM EST

police, squat, dortheavej

By Benno Hansen

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The first awake memory of mine today was getting a text message: A house was being squatted right around the corner from where I live! So I grabbed my new camera and went there to see for myself.

The reason for me sleeping my day away was that a friend of mine had DJ'd in Ungdomshuset last night. In the course of enjoying that, I also enjoyed quite a few Thy Humle - one of my favourite beers which they sell rather cheap there. But kind of funny I was practically walking from one squat to another.

On my way to Dortheavej to find the squat I get another message: Police have fired a tear gas grenade. Hmmm... I hurried to make it. No smell of tear gas though. Just a bunch of punks in the street, a line of cops blocking the entrance to the yard in front of a not-too-fancy looking house with banners hanging out the windows and of course a lot of journalists and photographers.

The first thing that happens is I meet two old friends and get invited to a party. I must have been living in a parallel world while studying at the university. Real life is nice.

Anyway, there's not that much to tell. After a while the police left and people clapped their hands. From everywhere all kinds of folks rushed in. A fire was lit to hang out around and beers were brought in. Someone turned up Motorhead from a ghettoblaster.

Right before I left to get home and eat and cure my hang over, someone came over with a huge speaker. Probably a PA. Quite likely they will do some kind of party later on. I may or may not drop by again.

But my new camera is the first camera I had for years. Because of the twilight and my dislike for use of flash, I set it to ISO. The resulting images are a bit grainy. Looks like I have to read the manual for the thing...

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Published to:

Benno Hansen's Column, All of Newsvine
Groups: Activism, Journalism on Newsvine, Left of Center
Regions: Denmark , Copenhagen

Public Discussion (10)

Benno Hansen

I wanted to post a couple of images, but the uploading of them tends to stall.

1 vote

#1 - Sat Jan 13, 2007 2:47 PM EST

Grey Wolf

That was interesting, and having photos is cool. You should also post this to "Citizen Journalism" (I think that's the name of the group.)

And you could include some background information, some context -- about squatting, the building, the press coverage. What are the attitudes about this around there. Was it an abondoned building? Was this just a roving party? What was going on? From the amount of people with cameras and the spread of the information, I'm lead to believe this happens often. Give a little analysis.

(Just my crappy advice, but I actually liked the informal style --- but I am left with too many questions, questions even about your opinion of what happened [besides being happy to get a party invite :-]).

3 votes

#1.1 - Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:32 PM EST

Benno Hansen

I can't fill you in right now. I'm hammered and it's late.

BUT.

I love it.

For background coverage please check two previous articles of mine. Click my column and you'll see.

Yes, it was an abandoned building. But it's also a @!$%#e building. I hope someone will drop 20,000 tons of napalm on it and people will go back to Jagtvej 69 and defend that instead. I may change my mind but that's what I feel right now. Politically this squatting was important though. Because stuff like this does not happen very often any more.

I'll be back...

1 vote

#1.2 - Sat Jan 13, 2007 11:58 PM EST

Benno Hansen

One of the first sounds this morning was that of a couple of sirens and the TV2 News helicopter in the air. This time I didn't bother doing the walk over there. Just brewed up some coffee and turned on the TV. About 70 cops were breaking into the house while about the same number of journalists and photographers were documenting it. Looked a bit like a farce, to be honest. From the top floor the squatters were singing songs from Astrid Lindgreen's Pippi Langstrømpe.

Related blog entries from around the web:

Daniel / New squat in Copenhagen

Today 13. january 2007, a new house in Copenhagen Denmark has been squatted.

A big demonstration walked through Nørrebrogade to the nothern part of Nørrebro. 50-60 squatters were in the house and invited for a party, but the police held the demonstration back from entering the house. The police threw, without no reason, one or two teargas-grenades which made people run away. Another example of policebrutality in Copenhagen, there was a whole lot of peacefull demonstraters, children and pro-ungdomshuset parents.The police hasn't been using teargas in eight years or so. Now after the 16. december 2006 were they used it during the big riot at Jagtvej, I suppose they find it legitimate to use it against a peacefull demonstration like the one today.

Anyway, the police went away, and tonight there's a big party in our new Youthhouse at Dortheavej 63, 2400 Nordvest

We will never surrender -

Oh - those Danes...! / The Squatters and their Homes

The demonstrators had found another house to occupy. A photo that has made the news shows a rather gloating banner : "Welcome to the House - now we have two".

The police tried to smoke them out by throwing two tear gas granades. Without effect.

Instead the kids had a party - and the police have decided to let them get rid of their hangovers first.

It is quite likely they can't afford to pay the overtime it would take to take action during the weekend.

Youth House vs. Father House is a piece so fine I'm going to seed it independently. Read it.