Police officers return to Christiania after violent scenes
A police raid on the Pusher Street market in Copenhagen resulted in violent confrontations on Thursday.
Law enforcers returned on Friday to again raid the market, which sells marijuana, for the seventh consecutive day.
“Things went smoothly and calmly,” said Deputy Chief Superintendent Lars Ole-Karlsen, who leads the special unit tasked with the raids.
That is in contrast to the violent scenes that accompanied Thursday’s raids.
The flare-up began around 4:30pm when police tried to arrest four suspected hash traders, Ritzau reports.
Police say that around 100 people were involved in the disturbance, in which six officers were hit by rocks, resulting in one receiving hospital treatment.
Up to 30 masked individuals later confronted a police patrol on the nearby Refshalevej road.
The group was reportedly armed with blunt weapons and clubs, and police officers returned to their vehicle out of concern for their own safety.
“We have not yet been able apprehend the culprits,” Ole-Karlsen said.
A video recorded during the earlier confrontation, showing violent action by the police officers, was published on social media on Thursday.
In the video, an unarmed woman can be seen being pushed hard in the chest by an officer, resulting in her falling into a bicycle.
The incident can be seen around halfway through the clip below.
Politiet siger, at de blev angrebet af mellem 80 og 100 personer ved gårsdagens aktion på Christiania. Omvendt siger folk på Christiania, at politiet var unødvendigt brutale. Denne video er lånt af Sara Thane. #dkpol pic.twitter.com/MVGZ7Rzcqs
— Radio24syv (@Radio24syv) June 1, 2018
Police have encouraged the woman to contact them in relation to the incident.
“I have seen the video and it doesn’t look good. We must naturally look into the woman’s role, and if she is an unconnected passer-by, that is not good at all,” Ole-Karlsen said.
Stalls on Pusher Street commonly sell cannabis and related products and are regularly raided in police clampdowns on Christiania, an area within Copenhagen originally established by hippie squatters in 1971.
Since the end of last week, police have increased their efforts in a crackdown against the marijuana market.
READ ALSO: After five days of raids, Christiania hash traders stop rebuilding market
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Law enforcers returned on Friday to again raid the market, which sells marijuana, for the seventh consecutive day.
“Things went smoothly and calmly,” said Deputy Chief Superintendent Lars Ole-Karlsen, who leads the special unit tasked with the raids.
That is in contrast to the violent scenes that accompanied Thursday’s raids.
The flare-up began around 4:30pm when police tried to arrest four suspected hash traders, Ritzau reports.
Police say that around 100 people were involved in the disturbance, in which six officers were hit by rocks, resulting in one receiving hospital treatment.
Up to 30 masked individuals later confronted a police patrol on the nearby Refshalevej road.
The group was reportedly armed with blunt weapons and clubs, and police officers returned to their vehicle out of concern for their own safety.
“We have not yet been able apprehend the culprits,” Ole-Karlsen said.
A video recorded during the earlier confrontation, showing violent action by the police officers, was published on social media on Thursday.
In the video, an unarmed woman can be seen being pushed hard in the chest by an officer, resulting in her falling into a bicycle.
The incident can be seen around halfway through the clip below.
Politiet siger, at de blev angrebet af mellem 80 og 100 personer ved gårsdagens aktion på Christiania. Omvendt siger folk på Christiania, at politiet var unødvendigt brutale. Denne video er lånt af Sara Thane. #dkpol pic.twitter.com/MVGZ7Rzcqs
— Radio24syv (@Radio24syv) June 1, 2018
Police have encouraged the woman to contact them in relation to the incident.
“I have seen the video and it doesn’t look good. We must naturally look into the woman’s role, and if she is an unconnected passer-by, that is not good at all,” Ole-Karlsen said.
Stalls on Pusher Street commonly sell cannabis and related products and are regularly raided in police clampdowns on Christiania, an area within Copenhagen originally established by hippie squatters in 1971.
Since the end of last week, police have increased their efforts in a crackdown against the marijuana market.
READ ALSO: After five days of raids, Christiania hash traders stop rebuilding market
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