Copenhagen mayor plans to close Pusher Street (Christiania)

The Christiania Freetown could soon undergo a radical change. The mayor of Copenhagen, Sophie Hæstorp Andersen, has indeed indicated that she is considering completely closing Pusher Street, a street known to tourists — but not only — for its illegal cannabis trade.

What prompted Ms. Andersen to make this statement is the increase in acts of violence and crime in Pusher Street.

«If the residents of Christiania clearly indicate that they want to close Pusher Street and do something else with the area, the municipality of Copenhagen is ready to help develop a plan to study what can be done with this street,» said Ms. Andersen in an interview with the tabloid Ekstra Bladet.

Long-standing problems

The Violence in Pusher Street is nothing new. Several gangs are fighting for control of this popular spot, with its share of stabbings and shootings. A 23-year-old man, well-known in the area, was shot and killed on Pusher Street in late October 2022.

Since the 1970s, Christiania, or Freetown Christiania, in the Christianshavn district of Copenhagen, has been the country's «Green Light» district. It is a mini-Amsterdam, with comparable canals and architecture and an open tolerance to soft drugs, including cannabis.

The Bådsmandsstræde military base on Amager island was transformed into a commune in 1973 and given an autonomous government. Hippies and anarchists established a social-democratic government structure and made the area a permanent «social experiment.» The first thing you see upon entering Christiania is a fresco depicting a fan leaf, as well as a fist crushing a hypodermic needle, signifying the rule of banning hard drugs in the area.

Since around 1980, hash has been openly sold on Pusher Street, which explains the neighborhood's strict no-photography rule. But organized crime has cast a shadow over the scene, and it's no longer the utopia it once was.

«The violence and crime around Pusher Street have reached a level that we can neither cope with nor want to deal with,» Ms. Andersen told Ekstra Bladet. «In Copenhagen, I think there should be room for Christiania. It is both quirky and alternative. It is creative. But this hard, organized violence must be excluded from Christiania's future.».

An ongoing debate also propose legalizing cannabis in the country.