These mostly quiet university towns seem to have become a hub for squatting and protesting over housing shortages for the past two months. Weekly demonstrations and a continued, coordinated mission to occupy abandoned buildings have kept local police busy.
Tensions in the southern Swedish university town of Malmo flared up again over the eviction of squatters, resulting in two nights of violent rioting. Riot police from Gothenburg and Stockholm were called in to provide support for their besieged colleagues who were pelted with Molotov cocktails, rocks and other debris.
The seven full-time squatters, who say they want to protect the historic building, have won the support of conservation groups. But Hammerson, which has a portfolio worth £7.3 billion, is determined to force them out.
The efforts of Denmark’s Parliament to take back control of the progressive enclave of Christiana and evict all its squatting residents have been upheld by the Eastern High Court. This could mark the beginning of the end for the alternative-minded folk who live in the former Copenhagen naval base, which they have been occupying since 1971.
Right now I am working on a Communication Design Degree from Emily Carr University in Vancouver. Currently I am in Rotterdam studying Graphic Design at Willem de Kooning Academy.