"Squatters" of Scandinavia and the Danish Riots!

I had mentioned about the Denmark riots. They were between the youth in a building in downtown Copenhagen and the Police. What is this building? Well in Denmark it is called Ungdomshuset (the Youth House). Such "Squat Houses" are common in Scandinavia and are part of the Socialist/Liberal groups – mostly youth who are very Socialist, Anti-Capitalist, New-Agey in nature and often into drugs. They are basically harmless.. so it was surprising that the Danish authorities would indulge in such an act!

The similar movement in Norway is called "Blitz":

The Blitz (Norwegian: Blitzen) is an anarchist, communist and socialist youth movement in Norway. They have their seat in an old, abandoned house in Oslo, the building itself also called Blitz. Other Norwegian cities such as Stavanger, Trondheim and Bergen are said to have similar movements, though they are not classified as united groups in the same way as in Oslo. The Blitz are often criticized for their political opinions [1], though they do not pose a threat to law and order due to poor public support.

Since the beginning of the 1990s until today, the Blitz have repeatedly obstructed meetings of the right-wing radical parties Demokratene, Fremskrittspartiet and Patriotpartiet.

There are similar youth movements elsewhere in Scandinavia as well, and to some extent in other European countries.

And the house for such squatters is also in downtown Oslo and is called by the same name:

Blitz is an autonomous house in the centre of Oslo, Norway. It started out as a squatted building in the beginning of the 1980s and has since been a centre of socialist, communist and anarchist activism.

In 1982 an agreement was made between the city and the squatters. They were allowed to rent the house for a symbolic rent, and in return they would maintain the building.

During the 1980s the people around Blitz were involved in many violent demonstrations, e.g. during the visits of the British prime minister Margaret Thatcher in 1986 and the US foreign minister Caspar Weinberger in 1987. The demonstrations turned into street battles between Blitz sympathisers and the police, often with much injury on both sides and many arrested activists. Another episode occurred in 1986 when Blitz activists stormed the city hall of Oslo during a city council dinner and ate up the politicians’ food.

During the 1990s Blitz often obstructed legal meetings of right-wing polical parties such as the Progress Party, the minor Patriotic Party and Demokratene.

In 2002 the city council, then led by the Conservative Party, put the Blitz house on sale. The activists responded with a massive action and, among other things, battered the entrance part of the city hall, and the sale was stopped.

Among the activities of the house are a bookshop with political litterature, the Anti Fascist Action (AFA) network, a group supporting Mumia Abu-Jamal, a feminist group, a Children’s Power group, a non-profit printing office, a photo group and a feminist radio sender. Blitz also has a café specialised in vegan food. The practice rooms, sound studio and concert facilities are a centre for ska, hardcore and hip hop music.

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