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Protests fail to stop demolition of historic Copenhagen building

Hundreds of tearful and angry protesters gathered outside a youth community center in Copenhagen on Monday to watch as a hydraulic excavator tore into the building, bringing to an end more than 100 years of political history.

The Ungdomshuset (Youth House), which once hosted Vladimir Lenin, has been the focus of street riots in recent days following the eviction of squatters from the building which has been sold to a rightwing Christian sect.

On Monday demonstrators laid flowers at the end of Jagtvej Street in the workers' district of Noerrebro as dust from the demolition filled the air.

"This is a funeral," said Siggi Oddsson, 22, who laid a cloth banner reading "Loved and Missed."

"This is an absolute milestone of underground culture in Copenhagen and it's being destroyed," he said. "Forget the idea of `wonderful, wonderful Copenhagen.'"

Behind him, a silver crane -- the name of the company it belonged to concealed under a layer of paint -- hovered above the graffiti-covered structure of house number 69. Workers wore face masks under their helmets so as not to be identified as they worked under police guard, and even the trucks taking away the rubble were escorted through the city by armed police.

Many surrounding shops were either boarded up or had had their windows smashed following three nights of clashes between police and protesters.

The four-story red brick building has been a popular meeting point for leftwing anarchists, punk rockers and musicians since the local government allowed young people to use it in 1982. It quickly became a focal point for anti-capitalist activism.

But its importance as a place where political history was made goes back further. Built as a community theater for the labor movement in 1897, it was here that both Denmark's women's liberation and trade union movements were founded. Lenin paid a visit in 1910 during the Socialist International Congress and it has played host to modern musicians such as Bjork.

But it has been a point of contention between inhabitants and the local government since 1995 when a fire which damaged the building prompted the city to decide to sell it. A squat was formed whose occupants hung a banner from the windows which read: "For sale, including 500 violent-loving psychos."

In 2000 when it was sold to a religious group, the tension grew. Court orders for the squatters to leave were ignored. On Thursday 35 squatters were removed by riot police. The evictions triggered three nights of riots, with a handful of anarchists setting fire to cars, trash cans and shops.
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