Copenhagen, Denmark
Black-clad anarchists sporting multicolored dreadlocks wept this week as their beloved squat was torn down. Squatters have lived in the building, once a theater, since 1982. But the city sold the building six years ago to a Christian congregation. Three months ago, the squatters lost the last of a series of court battles to continue living rent-free, and riot police arrived last week in armored vehicles to evict them. The evictions triggered three nights of violent street riots, during which more than 650 people were arrested and 25 injured. Ruth Evensen, leader of the group that bought the building, said the four-story structure would be torn down because it was “a total wreck” and a fire hazard. “It would cost us a fortune to have it fixed,” she said.
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