Photo Gallery Riots Outside Climate Summit
Several groups of protesters set fire to street barricades in a downtown Copenhagen neighborhood. Many threw Molotov cocktails at police officers.
The militant protests centered around the Christiania district near downtown Copenhagen. The warehouse quarter has been squatted since the 1970s and was hosting a party for environmental activists on Monday night.
Witnesses say police closed off all exits from Christiania before moving in. They fired tear gas and made some 200 arrests.
Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood with about 850 residents. The place has been a source of controversy for the last 40 years, and its residents often clash with the local authorities.
Police arrived soon after rioters erected a flaming barrier in the middle of the street to block the area. Monday night's detainments bring the total number of arrests since the beginning of the climate negotiations last week to 1,500.
"We entered Christiania to pursue individuals who had built the barricades, set alight the fires in the streets and threw fire bombs at our police officers before taking refuge in Christiania," said police spokesman Henrik Suhr.
While it is unclear whether the Monday night riot was planned beforehand, protesters have scheduled a number of demonstrations, including an attempt to raid the actual site of the conference on Wednesday.
Danish police have been heavily criticized for their heavy-handedness against protesters since the climate summit has started. On Monday night, however, protesters bombarded police with Molotov cocktails.
Christiania is a semi-autonomous region within Copenhagen. Threats to clear out the neighborhood have resulted in several riots in the past.
