Violent clashes died out yesterday morning following a night of street clashes in Copenhagen during which protesters threw cobblestones at riot police and erected barricades with garbage containers which they set on fire along with at least a dozen cars.
At least 170 people were arrested during the violence sparked by Thursday's eviction of squatters from a downtown building. The clashes started just after midnight in a square a block away from that house.
The eviction angered youths who have viewed the building, a former theater, as free public housing for years. It has also been a popular cultural center for anarchists, punk rockers and left-wing groups, where performers have included Australian musician Nick Cave and Icelandic singer Bjork.
One demonstrator was injured in the downtown Noerrebro District, Copenhagen police spokesman Flemming Steen Munch said. A hospital official could not immediately be reached for details on the person's condition. The Politiken newspaper said on its Web site that the rioter had been hit by a cobblestone.
"After a very hectic night, calm finally has settled over the city," Munch said.
He could not confirm media reports that many of those arrested were Germans.
"We have something like more than 400 people arrested in the past days," he said.
Hundreds of police officers in riot gear used tear gas to disperse the protesters, pushing away demonstrators and onlookers in order to allow firefighters to put out the blazes which sent smoke billowing into the night sky. Smoke could be smelled throughout the downtown area.
Shortly after 1am yesterday, protesters briefly clashed with police and erected barricades which they set on fire along with at least a dozen cars.
About three hours later, a bonfire in the street ignited a blaze in a nearby building housing a kindergarten and an adjacent two-story house. Police said the fire was quickly extinguished and no one was injured. It was unclear whether anyone was inside either building in the Noerrebro District.
Across the city, other groups of protesters set garbage containers on fire in the streets. Youths threw cobblestones and clashed with police. One band of protesters entered a school and began hurling chairs, desks and computers onto the street.
It was the second night of violent street battles. On Thursday night, demonstrators threw cobblestones, burned cars, lit fires and fought with police. Twenty-five people were injured and 219 were arrested.
Anticipating more violence, Denmark borrowed 20 police vans from neighboring Sweden on Friday.
"We wanted to make sure [Danish] police would not end up in a situation where we lack vehicles that can resist cobblestones if the situation in Copenhagen's streets should escalate further," Denmark's police chief Torsten Hesselbjerg said.
Some of those arrested and injured on Thursday included foreigners who had joined the protests that started on Thursday morning after a helicopter hoisted anti-terror police onto the roof of a four-story building -- a former theater in central Copenhagen -- and evicted the 35 squatters inside.
Twenty-one people from Germany, Sweden, Italy, Greece, the US, Lithuania, Norway, Britain and France were among those arrested.
Justice Minister Lene Espersen said protesters "misused their right to demonstrate" when they became violent.
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