The transformed BlokR action was held on April 3rd as planned. About 5-6000 people took part in the massive demo, that went by many of the places in Copenhagen that have supported Ungdomshuset and housed its activities for the last year or more. The route took nearly four hours to walk and every mile was severely enjoyable and festive with four speaker trucks playing everything from rock through disco to electronica.
The demo was received at the square in front of Nørrebrohallen where G13 started by four tripods with banners in the colours of the four blocks, roman candles and a big banner saying simply “ungdomshuset”.
Even though the mood at the demo was festive the speakers kept emphasizing that the battle is not yet over and that Thursday demos will continue until we are in actual physical possession of a new house. And even after that has happened, most likely the Thursday demos will continue, because the council has still not come through on its promise of a new children’s house that they took away and promised to replace about five years ago.
From the speaker trucks a solidarity greeting was also sent out to the activists in Bukarest actioning against the NATO summit there. So the struggle continues.
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10.4.2008
At the last Monday meeting of the Ungdomshusets, consensus was reached to agreeing to an offer of a new building in Northwest of Copenhagen on Dortheavej 61.
The new solution for an Ungdomshus in Copenhagen has been agreed by all parties involved. The final decision still rests with the city council and will be formalized on June 11th, but publicly several politicians, including the mayor Ritt Bjerregaard, have ok’ed the solution and Ungdomshusets Monday Meeting has agreed as well.
The new house will be in what is now a local culture centre under the council. It will be in two connected buildings, one of which will be split in half. The culture centre will remain in the other half of the building and the city council has agreed to build a new add on to compensate for the space lost to the new Ungdomshus.
The first part of the take over (the smaller building comprising 600 m2) will happen on July 1st. After that the main building will be available for take over on January 1st next year.
There has been very positive contact between the left radical scene and the leaders of the culture centre, who are welcoming the new house.