Eviction protesters fight Danish police

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) -- Dozens were arrested after angry
protesters threw cobblestones at police Thursday when an anti-terror
squad started a disputed eviction of squatters from a downtown
building, police said.

A German citizen was hospitalized after being hit in the head with an
object, according to a hospital spokeswoman. His condition was not
serious.

The highly publicized eviction has drawn ire from the squatters and
other youth, who have viewed the former theater as free public
housing for years.

Dozens of onlookers clashed with hundreds of police officers who took
part in the eviction, which began shortly after 7 a.m. when a
helicopter hoisted down members of Denmark's anti-terror police on
the building's roof.

Officers with anti-riot gear then sealed off the surrounding streets
as police began bringing out squatters.

Police said at least 35 people had been arrested inside the house
while dozens were detained outside for trying to cross police lines.
Police spokesman Per Larsen said foreign citizens were likely among
those arrested, but had no details on nationalities.

"The morning action happened with military precision," Larsen said.
"It went by the book."

It was unclear how many people were inside the house when the eviction began.

Dozens of protesters quickly gathered behind police lines shouting
"stop police brutality." Nearby shops, fearing riots, began boarding
their windows.

Copenhagen University Hospital spokeswoman Lisbeth Westergaard said
the injured German was in his 20s, but did not reveal his identity.

"He is doing fine and he will soon be discharged," she said.

The eviction has been planned since last year, when two courts
ordered the squatters to leave the house and hand it 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 four-story building while it was still in use.

In December, a rally to protest the eviction turned violent. Some of
the around 1,000 protesters threw cobblestones, iron bars and
fireworks at police, who detained some 300 people.