After your brief visit to Christiania , you probably have one question in mind: how is it-a bunch of hippies could settle permanently in this perfect place without being chased presto? But the fact that poliiiiice?
Well, the police tried, but failed. The squatters were able to lead a peaceful resistance, punctuated by political actions and cultural events that struck the minds of the time. The context and Danish mentality also contributed to the survival of the Free City, which makes a lot of people say that such alternative life experience could be born in Denmark.
But to understand, back 38 years ago. In the beginning was this fantasy land owned by the Danish army, which was abandoned by the military no longer needed since the end of the Second World War. In the 70, broke a housing crisis. People began to be introduced gradually in the phantom zone, first sporadically and then September 4, 1971, they destroyed the fences.
Possession was published by the declaration of a journalist, Jacob Ludvigsen, who proclaimed the founding of the Free City of Christiania, the alternative newspaper Hovedbladet, dated September 26. The article "Migrate with bus number 8" proposes that these military barracks being used for housing for the homeless, while evoking the opportunity to build a new society from scratch. What was quite common in the hippie squatter, collectivist and anarchist at the time. Thus there was an influx of people who wanted a different lifestyle, that's Christiania was born.
"A city within a city
Christiania
For you and me "
So of course, it did not happen in the sweetness. The police tried to evict several times without success. They had to abandon due to the difficulty of the task : people were too numerous and too large area. The matter took a political turn and the future of Christiania was discussed in Parliament. In 1972, Christiania makes an arrangement with the Department of Defense who owned the field level. exchange for payment of electricity and water, the Danish government accepted the occupation of land in the name of a "social experiment". A competition was launched to find ideas on the use that could be done in the area.
Alas, the next year, a new government was brought to power with a different opinion on the question: Christiania should disappear. Resistance was organized in small groups. Many political actions and cultural events, especially theater, were organized in order to speak of Christiania. During the NATO summit, members of the theater Solvognen (the Chariot of the Sun) disguised themselves as soldiers of NATO and effectuèrent military operations in Copenhagen. Deceit was revealed that night. The event was immortalized in the film "Five Days for Peace" Niels Vest. In 1974, municipal elections, Christianity began to establish twelve lists non-party and managed to mess up the results. A great "Barricade party" was organized with the participation of many notable artists, politicians, theater groups and musicians known and unknown. The first documentary on the struggle for the survival of Christiania "Law and Order in Christiania," always by director Niels Vest, was presented Many cinemas in Denmark. Solvognen got an army of Santas who invaded Copenhagen and distributed free gifts in department stores. They were of course arrested, but the image of the police beating the Santas went around the world.
In 1976, Christiania instituted legal action against the State for breach of promise: the 1973 agreement on the competition for ideas on the future of Christiania had still not been concluded, and the threat the decision to clean the area was still hovering. Christiania was defended by a lawyer from left, Carl Madsen, who supported their struggle for freedom. But in 1977, Christiania lost the case and appealed to the Supreme Court. While continuing to mobilize as much as possible, with the exhibition "Love and Chaos" presented at the Royal Danish Academy of Fine Arts, a support disc "Our Music" and a big operation to restore the Free City. But they lost their case again the following year. They went looking for a plan to mobilize hundreds of thousands of people, and stood again in municipal elections. They succeeded in electing a representative to the City Council, Thorkild Weiss Madsen, known for his fiery speeches against real estate speculation and the destruction of slums bulldozed.
Meanwhile, police in Copenhagen actively hunted the junkies and dealers of hashish. It was also the time when heroin was introduced in Denmark on a large scale. Of course, Christiania was the hub of the drug market. Christiania tried to cooperate with police to rid the market of hard drugs but the police preferred the violent raids against dealers. Free City then decided to take matters in hand and in 1979 organized a blockade against sellers of hard drugs, and succeeds to evict them.
But the same year, a Conservative-Liberal government came to power at the same time a violent campaign of vilification from Sweden, Christiania accused of being against the drug trade in northern Europe and the true root of evil. The Christianity responded with a campaign "Love Sweden" showing the seizing of the three largest Swedish cities, Stockholm, Gothenburg and Malmö in parades, cabaret shows and exhibitions.
Christiania was forgotten policies in the following years, this which enabled him to create and work on his alternative vision of life in peace. There was such conferences and activities in support of Native peoples and Greenlanders. In summer 1986, Christiania published the report "Here" proving that the city was able to maintain its infrastructure and support its common institutions. In 1987, the government began to implement a plan to legalize Christiania, aimed particularly at public institutions. A law passed in 1989, describing a plan of urbanization Christiania dividing into two parts, one called "rural" to be empty of houses, and other called "urban." The residents protested against this separation by sending objections 90. In support of this resistance, a manifestation of "Declaration of Love" at the Free City was organized. On this occasion, Niels Vest realized the movie " Christiania you have my heart."
In September 1992, the Copenhagen police began a new campaign to clean trafficking cannabis and created the opportunity for a special patrol of 70 police officers dedicated to Christiania. The actions were violent and the inhabitants of Christiania traumatisèrent creating a climate of fear and suspicion. This did not reduce the traffic so far and the government abandoned this idea a year and a half later after a major crisis between the people and the Minister of Justice.
But Parliament continued its fight against drugs without distinction, and in 1994 he came the first "strike chichon" Pusher Street where ceased its activities for five days to protest against the repressive policy of the government, while that Christianity, dealers and consumers led a campaign against hard drugs called "Plant a Seed" made of petitions and demonstrations.
In 2001 a new government was elected with a large majority of right and extreme right. Like their predecessors 20 years earlier, they declared war with Christiania as a project in mind to build 300 homes in the area. Meanwhile, the cultural life continued to explode in Christiania and several books were published above. The parliamentary committee dedicated reuse the old concept of competition of ideas to occupy the area in order to normalize, while pointing to the fact that the inhabitants of Christiania were most in need, less educated and more unemployed than the rest of the population. A scathing response was not long to wait, with the publication of a report showing that the system of self-government of Christiania walked and had created a functional real village with lots of potential. Niels Vest turned "Law and Order in Christiania 2", the sequel to his 1974 movie. In response to the intensification of crackdowns, the Pusher Street dealers covered their stalls with camouflage fabrics to meet ironically the government's desire that the traffic is less visible. They bequeathed even one of their huts at the National Museum for posterity.
A Gallup poll showed that three quarters of Copenhageners wanted to keep Christiania. When the contest initiated by the government, it proved to be a dismal failure: no known architect wanted to participate and not all proposed projects were rejected by the judges.
In 2004, the government nevertheless succeeded in expelling the traffickers of cannabis for the first time ever of Christiania. This had the effect of fragmenting the market and the spread in the rest of the city. The year 2005 was particularly marked by violent clashes of gangs in the neighborhood of Nørrebro.
Humor always at the entrance of Månefiskeren
Today, the sale of hashish and marijuana is returned to Christiania, although the police continue to spend time time.
"Why medicine should be banned?"
Manifestation of Christianity in Copenhagen
However, doubt still hangs over the future of the area. The Christianity remain vigilant, although they have many supporters. Their slogan " Bevares Christiania (Keep Christiania) is a trend nationally.
The media attention her concern is probably what saved her, but the Free City is becoming more and more tourists. But even if the ideal of community has faltered along the way and the people of Christiania is aging, the place has not lost its extraordinary power fascination.
To conclude this little beauty in history, I can not resist the temptation to show you pictures of a beautiful mural depicting the history of Christiania found in the gallery art at the entrance:
In the next issue, I'll explain how has organized community life in Christiania!
Redial previous numbers:
Part 1: The grass is really greener in Christiania?
Part 2: Open the doors and discover the true tagguées Christiania
Source Main article: Guide Christiania (in print for 10 kr in Christiania)
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