Denmark’s infamous Freetown, shaken by violence, aims to shutter Pusher Street

CHRISTIANIA, Denmark (CN) ­— For decades, tourists from all over the world and Danes alike have visited Freetown Christiana to experience the unique and chill blend of local craftmanship, music, shows, food, nature — and high-quality weed.

Freetown has about 1,000 residents, but around half a million visitors come here each year.

But recent drug-related violence has cast a shadow on the open culture of Freetown, an independent and historically rebellious community located in the capital of Copenhagen.

It was born from a movement in 1971, when 150 young people began fixing up the buildings of a deserted military neighborhood. Small businesses sprang up, and soon the residents had created a hardcore democratically run township that gained partial independence from the Danish state in 1989.

Drugs were always a part of Christiania, especially on centrally located Pusher Street. Here, small dealers traded cannabis openly, despite it being illegal in Denmark. Notwithstanding frequent police raids and arrests, the marijuana market has remained an undisturbed institution in Copenhagen’s cultural scene.

However, the scene on Pusher Street has long been associated with gangs, such as the Hells Angels and Loyal to Familia, who fight each other for dominance over the market. The violence culminated in Christiania on Aug. 26, as five people were shot and a 30-year-old man died.

Locals worried about the violence are asking politicians to help shut down the market.

“What we feared would happen has happened again. Again, another young human has lost his life to the gang war," residents wrote in a press release after they voted to shut down Pusher Street. "It must not go on. It shall not ruin more lives. ... Christiania has provided streets for Denmark’s entire cannabis market for more than 50 years. It is a historic period that ends now,” the statement read.

Yet it will not be an easy task. Danish police authorities have tried everything from bulldozers to installing hundreds of policemen permanently in the area, said Minister of Justice Peter Hummelgaard to Danish public media DR in the wake of the shootings.

An effective solution requires a multi-pronged approach, the minister said. Last Tuesday, the Ministry of Justice announced plans to double existing penalties for trading and possession of drugs in Christiania. Hummelgaard announced that the government will present further political initiatives this week to give Danish police more resources to fight organized crime.

“The challenges with the illegal drug trade in Christiania cannot be seen as isolated," Hummelgaard said at the news conference. "It is important that we tackle the root of the problem and handle the gangs on a more fundamental level,” he said.

Both locals in Christiania and several political parties, such as the left-wing Red-Green Alliance and right-wing Liberal Alliance, have pointed to the legalization of marijuana as a potential solution and way to take control of the market.

For now, the government has rejected the idea, saying marijuana is a medical issue and any potential legislation would need to be vetted by healthcare professionals to evaluate the risks and challenges.

Those who live in Christiania are trying to balance its reputation for freedom with safety.  

Christiania local Kim Bekker told Courthouse News last year that the area's creative and alternative DNA has little to do with drugs and more to do with finding a unique and individual lifestyle.

“This is a place where you can test your life in ways only possible in a few other places in the world — and then in the middle of a capital,” Bekker said.

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