Party Like It’s 1968

All too often, history repeats itself. It seems to be repeating at a faster rate now, though. Those of us who remember 1968 the first time around can feel an eerie similarity to what is happening right now in a lot of events. That's not saying everything is exactly the same, just starting to feel familiar. I just caught this item from The Astute Bloggers that has that 1968 "rage in the streets" feel all over again. They even mention 1968 in the post.

If you stick to the mass media you may hear about this tomorrow – but TAB thinks you might want to know today:

Approximately 300 rioters have been arrested after street battles with the Police in and around Norrebro. Danish media is referring to it as a war zone. But wait a minute – it's not a battle with immigrant youths a la the Paris Intifada. No – this time it is a skirmish between Law and Order and Left-wing anarchist holdovers from 1968 ( more likely their children).

Background: The Youth House, was first occupied 29 October 1982 to be a place for teenagers to have for themselves, was sold by Copenhagen Commune to a private Christian group – Father House. The anarchists – Autonome – who spring from a violent anti-authoritarian movement called the BZ'ers – challenged the sale in court, lost, appealed and lost again.

The courts decided the house should be vacated 14 December – but the Mayor, and Police Chief said they would not do anything until after Christmas. The youth house staged protests – some less violent than others – and invited activists from Europe to come and support them.

Well, tonight they held a protest outside the building – and a few hundred had masks covering their faces/identities – which had been made illegal in Denmark a few years ago – which gave the police the grounds to act. Then the proverbial sh*t hit the fan. The results – including looting and vandalizing the neighborhood – are far more extensive than anticipated.