End of an era for the hippie paradise in the heart of Copenhagen: the residents of the “anarchist” neighborhood of Christiania they started demolishing Pusher Street, the main artery of the “free city” where cannabis, since the early seventies of the last century, was freely available despite being illegal under Danish law. Planned for months by the inhabitants, today has arrived the “Day of Action” to definitively close the drug trade route. Many wanted to take part in the initiative, contributing to the physical dismantling of the road, cobblestone by cobblestone.
The decision was made last year following a murder that had permanently ruined the image of an anarchic but peaceful community. The murder, the fourth in three years, led the residents of Christiania to decide that drug sales had to stop because Pusher Street, once a popular destination for tourists from all over the world, had transformed into a place for violent drug dealers . The ‘free city’ of Copenhagen is therefore changing direction: Christiania, an independent neighborhood-community and for decades a destination for hippies from all over the world, has officially stopped selling hashish freely on Pusher Street at all hours of the day despite Denmark is illegal.
Planned for months by residents, the Day of Action to permanently close Pusher Street arrived last weekend. Many wanted to take part in the initiative, contributing to the physical dismantling of the road, cobblestone by cobblestone. Many of the thousand inhabitants of the area took the opportunity to take one home as a souvenir, with the writing “Christiania – 2024…”, with ellipses to keep in mind that this is still a story for the anarchist city to write.
“Pusher Street will be closed so Christiania can live,” he said Sophie Haestorp Andersenmayor of Copenhagen who wanted to be present at the event, underlining that the operation will not be limited to just one weekend: “It requires perseverance, hard work and patience in the coming months and years,” she wrote on her Instagram profile.
Even the Danish Prime Minister Mette Fredriksen participated in the initiative: “A joyful day”, he commented on social media, “today Pusher Street is being dismantled stone by stone. Congratulations to all the inhabitants of Copenhagen.”
Until a few months ago, it was possible to buy narcotics along this road even though it is illegal under Danish law. The drug dealing was tolerated by the authorities, precisely because it was located in the heart of Christiania, the famous anarchist neighborhood of Copenhagen. However, following a shooting in August 2023 in which a man was killed, the third murder on that road in three years, the residents of Christiania decided to put a stop to it and permanently close the street in collaboration with the municipal authorities and the police. In the year of the murder, police arrested 900 people linked to drug trafficking. But the quantity of drugs seized was never disclosed.
“This time, we will not allow the cannabis trade to return,” he said Simon Hansen, deputy inspector of the Copenhagen police. “What we are doing today is only part of the ongoing work in Christiania. Now that we stop the hashish trafficking, something else has to happen. This is not a problem that the police can solve alone,” Hansen stressed.
Christiania, set on an island full of greenery and flowers, now aims to relaunch its postcard image and the intense artistic activity of the neighborhood to attract visitors of a different kind than those just looking for a buzz. The project for the construction of housing for 300 new residents it is aimed at families with children: in other words, normal life and enough with hipsters.