Polite rioting...

So the last 36 hours have seen a fair amount of unpleasantness here in Copenhagen.
As the culmination of a very long process to empty out the "Youth House" in Copenhagen, because it's been sold by the city council, the police finally went in early yesterday morning. All of yesterday the result was sporadic rioting in the streets of Nørrebro. Until about 2:30 am, when everybody went back home. Then they got back up the morning, and have continued, albeit with far less gusto. Perhaps they can't find any more trashcans to burn...

These kids have been protesting, and trying to get the city to change the laws of the country in their favor. I'm actually not entirely opposed to that. These are kids that don't fit in anywhere. Given Denmarks history of social welfare, and making room for everyone, there has to be a way to accomodate these kids. Dialogue is good. They had my sympathy to some extent.

Right up until the first brick got thrown.

After that, I'm sorry buddy. I don't care how oppressed you think you are, and how unjustly you think you've been treated. You throw Brick 1 at a police officer who's out doing his job, and you deserve the teargas, the beating, and the arrest under which you will be placed. Besides, honestly, bricks? Dude, please... That's sooo last millenium. Throwing bricks in a world where explosives, firearms, and all means of weapon are available at the drop of a dime, is like lying down on the floor and screaming because you think you're being sent to bed too early.

They way these riots have unfolded kinda make me proud to be Danish though. You see, while all the silliness was going on in one of the most densely populated neighborhoods in Denmark, everyday life sort of continued on. Literally, you had, rioting, fired, guys in balaclavas chucking rocks on one street. Shift left one street, and there's Jens taking his laundry to the laundromat, and Dorte taking her 2-year old for a walk.. Stores were still open on the street in question, up until last night, and didn't start to get wrecked before well into the night. I used to work at a bar/coffeeshop on that street a few years ago, and I can only imagine the exchange with the customers:

"hi, could I get a Latte, a gourmet blueberry muffin, and a seat by the window so I can watch some punk teenagers get their asses mace'd?"

"Absolutely, sir, that'll be 55 crowns, and I'll bring it right over to you. Hurry and grab a seat, I see the kids are building a barricade in the street now. Should get good in a moment, when the UNIMOG comes in to level it!"

It's surreal... And an indicator that we have it pretty good in Denmark, really. In a given African country, all those rioting would get dis-appeared, never to be seen again. Here, they estimate there were probably about 1000 people involved in the riots. All the cops did was bounce some gas their way to break it up. They only arrested about 300 people, and only those stupid enough not to heed the multiple "disperse, or you will be prosecuted" warnings.

Ok, I must away, that is all from me.

Until next time this is Peter, mildly amused in Copenhagen.