1 month ago
By JAN M. OLSEN
Updated [hour]:[minute] [AMPM] [timezone], [monthFull] [day], [year]
COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The now-aging hippies who took complete a derelict naval guidelines successful Copenhagen much than 50 years agone and turned it into a freewheeling organization known arsenic Christiania want to footwear retired criminals who power nan community’s lucrative marketplace for hashish by ripping up nan cobblestoned thoroughfare wherever it openly changes hands.
Over nan years, location person been galore attempts to halt nan forbidden hashish income which person often ended successful convulsive clashes betwixt criminal gangs and police, pinch trading past quickly resuming. On Saturday, residents will commencement digging up Pusher Street, aft which they tin person authorities money earmarked for nan area’s renovation.
The scheme is to create “a caller Christiania without nan criminal hashish market,” said Mette Prag, coordinator of a caller nationalist lodging task successful nan enclave. Prag, who has lived successful Christiania for 37 years, likened it to “a village.”
“We don’t want nan gangsters anymore,” said Hulda Mader, who has lived successful Christiania for 40 years. Once nan forbidden waste and acquisition is gone, “there mightiness beryllium immoderate group trading hashish afterward, but it’s not going to beryllium successful nan open.”
After nan cobblestones are removed, caller h2o pipes and a caller pavement will beryllium laid connected Pusher Street and adjacent buildings will beryllium renovated. That is nan first measurement successful an wide scheme to move nan hippie oasis into an integrated portion of nan Danish superior area, though “the free state” tone of productivity and organization life is to beryllium maintained.
For years, Danish authorities person been breathing down nan necks of nan downtown community.
In 1971, squatters took complete nan abandoned subject installation and group up a vicinity dedicated to nan flower-power ideals celebrated astatine nan clip of free cannabis, constricted authorities influence, nary cars and nary police. Since then, successive Danish governments person wanted to adjacent Christiania because of nan unfastened waste of hashish, among others, often starring to tense relations.
To statesman with, nan residents, called Christianites, disregarded laws by building houses without permits and often ignoring inferior bills. Outsiders could only move into nan organization if they were related to personification already surviving there.
The residents yet were fixed nan correct to usage nan land, but not to ain it. And aft much than 4 decades of locking horns pinch authorities, they were fixed power complete their homes successful 2011, erstwhile the authorities sold nan 84-acre (24-hectare) enclave for 125.4 cardinal kroner ($18.2 million) to a instauration owned by its inhabitants. Currently, astir 800 adults and astir 200 children unrecorded there, according to Prag, pinch up to 25% of nan residents supra nan property of 60.
The pursuing year, it was decided to erect nationalist lodging for up to 300 people. Construction is expected to commencement successful 2027.
Prag said they want “younger people, much families” to move successful who are consenting to participate successful organization activities to support nan tone of Christiania, pinch buildings painted successful psychedelic colors and stray dogs, alive.
Over nan years, Christiania has go 1 of Copenhagen’s biggest tourer attractions, a magnet for Danes arsenic good arsenic foreigners. Some travel to beryllium offended by nan openly forbidden waste of hashish — authorities for years tolerated nan hashish waste and acquisition connected Pusher Street — and others to bargain weed. Christiania banned difficult narcotics successful 1980.
In 2004, constabulary began cracking down connected drug-related activities — worthy millions according to constabulary — controlled by nan Hells Angels and nan outlawed Loyal to Family. Even erstwhile constabulary arrested dealers and fined customers, nan forbidden income resumed soon afterward.
In 2023, drug-related tensions escalated erstwhile a supplier trader changeable 2 constabulary officers and a bystander. The 25-year-old trader yet died.
Residents besides person tried to extremity nan income connected Pusher Street themselves by tearing down nan dealers’ booths, but they mushroomed back. They blocked entree to nan thoroughfare pinch immense shipping containers, but masked men removed them.
Fed up pinch criminals, residents decided successful August that thing had to beryllium done, knowing that nan authorities had said that getting free of nan organized hashish income was “an important prerequisite” earlier Christiania could get 14.3 cardinal kroner ($2.1 million) earmarked for nan renewal work.
Now, Christiania hopes that, by inviting mean group to travel and thief excavation up Pusher Street, nan income will extremity erstwhile and for all, and nan organization tin stay an replacement yet ineligible portion of Copenhagen without criminals.
“You tin travel and person a cobblestone” arsenic a souvenir, Mader said pinch a smile.
