Copenhagen police arrest dozens in third night of unrest

COPENHAGEN, Denmark -- Copenhagen police arrested dozens of people early Sunday in a third straight day of unrest triggered by the eviction of squatters from a disputed youth center.

Small groups of protesters threw rocks at police and set fire to trash bins and barricades, but the violence did not escalate into the full-scale riots of the two previous nights. "We are very happy that the situation was so quiet," police spokesman Lars Borg said. "The people who want to demonstrate have been more ... aware that the things they are doing are not the right things to do."

More than 30 people were arrested near an abandoned building that had been a center for young leftists and punk rockers after protesters built barricades on a major street and set them on fire around 3 a.m. local time, police said. In all, 643 people have been arrested, including 140 foreigners from Europe and the United States, since the clashes started Thursday.

The riots began when an anti-terror squad evicted squatters from the so-called "Youth House," a graffiti-sprayed, red-brick building that for years has served as a popular cultural center for anarchists, punk rockers and left-wing groups.

Dozens of leftist sympathizers from neighboring countries joined the protests, which many saw as symbolic of a wider struggle against a capitalist establishment.

One protester was reportedly wounded in the violence early Saturday, while 25 people were injured the night before as angry youth hurled cobblestones at riot police who responded with tear gas. The street violence was Denmark's worst in 14 years.

Built in 1897, the "Youth House" was a community theater for the labor movement and a culture and conference center; Vladimir Lenin was among its visitors. In recent years, it has hosted concerts with performers like Australian musician Nick Cave and Icelandic singer Bjork.

The eviction had been planned since last year, when courts ordered the squatters to hand the building over to a Christian congregation that bought it six years ago.

The squatters refused to leave, saying the city had no right to sell the building.

Of those arrested, 218 have been remanded in custody on preliminary charges of rioting, while 15 people have been released, police said. Others are still awaiting court hearings.

The clashes were Denmark's worst since May 18, 1993, when police fired into a crowd of rioters protesting the outcome of a European Union referendum. Ten of the protesters were wounded.

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Associated Press Writers Louise Nordstrom in Stockholm, Sweden, and Jan M. Olsen in Copenhagen contributed to this report.