Cristiania

Denmark has a history and a passion for public gatherings.

this image brought back memories i had of the public demonstrations (read: riots) in copenhagen ahead of denmark's absorption into the EU. the first public vote came back a resounding NYE. when the parliament decided to recast the vote (which subsequently came back a contrary JA), the public went berzerk and took to the streets protesting against the decision. coming from the united states, where we very seldom see the public manifest and rally around a political (actually any) cause, it was shocking to experience and get caught up within this intense public energy/movement. As an observer, it was interesting to see firsthand what was happening, then read the contradictory or euphemistic descriptions of the events in the media. i had never witnessed large groups of people physically battling the police and with each other. portions of the city were locked down by the military and we were unknowingly trapped in the middle of it all. we watched people being shot with water canons, rubber bullets, and this was the first time i had ever experienced the effects of tear gas (which was highly effective i must say). the policemen organized into rows with full riot gear and shields pushing forward against a wall of people hurdling cobblestones that they had recently torn up from the streets as primitive ammunition. the seriously injured laying lifeless on the ground and the bloodied retreating to the shadows. others told me later that the some police had changed to live ammunition, firing on the crowd and killing some. this was never mentioned, however, in the media.