Current Event – Denmark moves to clamp down on gang crime with new measures

Written by Ritzau from The Local

 

Hej alle!

As I am sure some of you all know, there was a shooting in Christiania – also known as Free Town – on August 26, 2023. For more specifics on this check out Allie’s covering of culture and violence specifically addressing this shooting here. There was also “an explosion at a Hells Angels clubhouse” (cphstar) on September 9th, a couple Saturdays later, prompting a quick response from the governmental body in concern of public welfare. In this current event, we have a governmental update that includes a proposal containing 39 gang crime fighting measures that contain Stop-and-Search Zones, gang bans on clubhouses, and an increase in criminal reform punishment for gang members.

While important to identify the groups and gangs involved in the recent violence and create stronger deterrents for such violence, this article does point a finger at a scapegoat of minority Danish people of color. To quote the Prime Minister directly: “If you look at the trend there has been in the criminality scene in Denmark – and it’s been this way for many years – it’s young men from minority ethnic backgrounds, particularly from certain countries, who are heavily over-represented in the wrong statistics” (Local dk).

Throughout this program we discussed systemic racism and how past prejudices exist in the present to oppress and harm vulnerable groups of people. This article is just a short example of how scapegoats are used in order to push blame off of the majority and maintain their comfort in the status quo. We also addressed the idea of narratives and whose positionalities are being utilized in positions of power, as well as how these positionalities uplift or oppress other groups outside of the majority.

In summary, due to recent violent events, it is important to reconsider and discuss the reasonings of current oppressive positionalities in power and dismantle these narrative through conversations at every level.

 

 

Crisis24. (2023, August 26). Denmark: Lingering heightened security likely around Copenhagen’s Freetown Christiania community following shooting incident in area Aug. 26 /update 1. Crisis24. https://crisis24.garda.com/alerts/2023/08/denmark-lingering-heightened-security-likely-around-copenhagens-freetown-christiania-community-following-shooting-incident-in-area-aug-26-update-1

Newsdesk. (2023, September 9). Explosion at Hells Angels’ clubhouse. Explosion at Hells Angels’ clubhouse -. https://www.cphstar.dk/2023/09/09/explosion-at-hells-angels-clubhouse/

Ritzau. (2023, September 13). Denmark moves to clamp down on gang crime with New Measures. The Local Denmark. https://www.thelocal.dk/20230913/denmark-moves-to-clamp-down-on-gang-crime-with-new-measures