Copenhagen: Something radical in the state of Denmark
http://www.redpepper.org.uk/copenhagen-something-radical-in-the-state-of-denmark/
Ronan McHugh finds Copenhagen offers much of interest to visiting lefties
July 2011
It is hard not to be impressed by the sheer number of radical cafés,
bookstores and social centres in Copenhagen. Despite its relatively
small size (approximately one million residents), the city has at
least a dozen different radical centres, not including the
semi-autonomous area of Christiania, which is currently fighting a
last ditch battle with Denmark's right-wing government to stop the
state reclaiming the area and selling it off to property developers.
This huge infrastructure is not a recent development; a fascination
with the idea of fristeder (free places) has long been a dominant
tendency in the Danish radical left. This tendency dates back to the
squatters' movement, the slumstormere, that developed in the 1960s.
This died down after the authorities allowed squatters to live in the
buildings they had occupied until they were demolished, but it has
been revived in recent years.
Despite this background, radical centres in Copenhagen tend not to be
squatted buildings. Tough laws make squatting difficult, while there
are many legal alternatives for groups attempting to establish a
space. On the one hand, many former squats still have plenty of space
that can be repurposed for new projects, while on the other, it is
possible to get grants from government cultural funds for radical
social centres and other such projects. All of these different spaces
have something to say about contemporary and historical radicalism in
Copenhagen.
It's well worth getting a bike to visit Copenhagen. It is one of the
best cities in the world to cycle in and its wide bike lanes and
sensible drivers offer a welcome relief from the perils of cycling in
more car-centred cities. Unfortunately, it is hard to find bikes to
rent and the city-bikes provided for tourists are clunky
monstrosities, designed to be as unattractive as possible to steal.
Any radical tour of Copenhagen starts in Nørrebro. Historically a
workers' quarter and later a home to the squatters' movement, it is
now rapidly being colonised by an array of raw food restaurants, posh
cafés and gourmet beer bars. Despite this development, Nørrebro is
still studded with left-wing outposts.
A good place to start is Demos, an anti-fascist bookstore in a prime
location on the corner of the now uber-trendy Sankt Hans Torv with a
good selection of books, magazines and t-shirts. The shop is run by
an anti-fascist collective, who publish a magazine of the same name.
From here, one can walk ten minutes down the road to Cikaden, a
café, library and bookstore run by the International Forum, a group
that organises international solidarity work. There you can browse
the library, buy a souvenir t-shirt, or have a chat with the
activists on duty. The building next door is the headquarters of the
Socialist Youth Front. On a typical Friday evening passers-by might
be greeted by the sounds of pop music and heated arguments about the
Spanish Civil War.
At this point, it might be worth taking a break for a coffee at Café
Under Konstruktion (CuK), on the ground floor of Folkets Hus (The
People's House). Open five days a week, CUK was started as part of
the wave of activism that followed the eviction of the Ungdomshuset
(Youth House) autonomous youth centre in 2007. During weekdays it
offers a relaxed atmosphere for meeting friends and hanging out,
without the price tag attached to most café culture, while on
weekends there are often concerts and film showings. On a Sunday, you
can get your bike fixed at Cykelværkstedet 71, a cooperative bike
workshop also on the ground floor of Folkets Hus.
After a coffee, it might be worth buying a few flowers on
Nørrebrogade and walking to Jagtvej 69, the site of the evicted
Ungdomshuset. The building that formerly stood at Jagtvej 69 was
first built by the workers' movement in 1897, and functioned as a
headquarters and social centre for the labour movement, hosting
dances and boxing matches, as well as speeches by guests such as
Vladimir Lenin and Rosa Luxemburg.
In 1982, the then-derelict building was gifted to the squatters'
movement by the city council for use as an autonomous youth cultural
centre. For nearly 30 years it functioned as a concert venue and a
home for Copenhagen's 'autonome' movement.
However, in 2007, after a protracted court battle and failed
negotiations, the building was evicted by a huge force of police and
torn down to prevent it being re-occupied. Riots lasting several days
broke out across Copenhagen. Despite thousands of arrests, the police
failed to kill the movement and a year later the city council offered
the youth a new building as compensation.
This new building is located at Dortheavej 61, in the Nord Vest area,
further out of town. It's well worth paying a visit, either for the
excellent vegan People's Kitchen on Thursday evenings, a concert
during the weekend, or simply to hang out and read a book in the
well-stocked library and bookstore.
Also in Nord Vest are two other recent additions to Copenhagen's
radical cityscape, Bolsjefabrikken (The Candy Factory) and
Ragnhildgade 1. Both are non-profit and non-commercial cultural
centres run with support from city cultural funds. Ragnhildgade 1's
Thursday cafe is a good place to finish the day with a few beers
after the vegan dinner.
You can start the next day with a falafel at one of Nørrebro's many
kebab stores before heading down to Christiania, the now legendary
autonomous community. Christiania was founded in 1971, when squatters
occupied a derelict military barracks close to the harbour. Since
then, it has been run collectively by weekly general assemblies,
although its existence has continuously been threatened by conflicts
with the state over their right to use the area.
The first thing that strikes the visitor to Christiania is the
thriving trade in hash and weed on Pushers Street. Walking a little
bit further on, you can stop at Månefiskeren for a coffee or continue
on for a walk around the lakes. Despite its centrality, Christiania
is one of the most beautiful areas in Copenhagen. Trees and plant
life are allowed to prosper and the area is bounded by water. The
architecture is also worth admiring; the majority of residents live
in repurposed military buildings, but there are also many new houses,
which are often interestingly designed.
On another note altogether, Copenhagen's Frihedsmuseet (the Freedom
Museum) is an interesting spot to spend an hour or two. The museum
documents the history of the Nazi occupation during the second world
war and the resistance movement against it. Most interesting for
lefties will be the exhibition about the Folkestrejke (People's
Strike), a strike movement against occupation and government
collaboration. Also of note is the Danish people's remarkable success
in helping Jews to escape Nazi persecution.
The museum is located right next to a large section of well preserved
fortifications from the 17th century. Formed in the shape of a
pentagram, they were originally built as a defence against Sweden.
They later proved singularly useless in defence against the British
navy, which responded to the Danish refusal to enter an alliance
against Napoleon by seizing the Danish navy and firebombing the
civilian population.
All-in-all, Copenhagen is a great spot for a bit of radical tourism.
The radical left's long love affair with free spaces and independent
culture means that there are plenty of interesting places to see
around the city. Foreign activists might also use the opportunity to
think about the role of free spaces and 'autonomous culture' in
radical politics: are they a necessary part of a revolutionary
movement or a distraction from the real struggle? Are they a model
for a better society or a Neverland for escapist youth? After four
years in Copenhagen, I'm still not sure of the answer.
.
--
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups
"Sixties-L" group.
To post to this group, send email to [email protected].
To unsubscribe from this group, send email to
[email protected].
For more options, visit this group at
http://groups.google.com/group/sixties-l?hl=en.
