Copenhagen mayors condemn Tingbjerg fires and stone-throwing

Copenhagen’s mayors have condemned overnight fires and stone-throwing in Tingbjerg, a residential district in Copenhagen, and called for a full overview of the unrest, DR reports. They will also assess whether new measures are needed.

Fires were first reported in containers around midnight, followed by fires at a community hall and several cars. Copenhagen Police also shot a 22-year-old driver during a pursuit in the area. He remains in hospital in a stable condition and has been remanded in custody for an initial 18 days.

Lord Mayor Sisse Marie Welling of the Socialist People’s Party called the arson completely unacceptable. Andreas Keil, Copenhagen’s mayor for employment, integration and business, described the incident as serious.

“It is a violent episode when we suddenly experience fire in the streets in this way,” Keil said.

Keil has asked the Employment, Integration and Business Administration to establish an overview of the situation and the incident. The aim is to brief political colleagues at city hall and determine whether anything can be done differently or better at a political level.

Police and SSP, a local crime-prevention partnership, have already begun an effort in the area, Welling said. She has been in contact with emergency services and is following developments closely.

“It must be safe for residents of Tingbjerg and all other Copenhageners to move around everywhere in the city,” she said.

Tingbjerg was on the list of parallel societies until 2023, while crime in the district has declined in recent years. Simon Hansen, a deputy police inspector with Copenhagen Police, said the overnight events could not necessarily be linked to developments in the district.

“The fact that the specific shooting took place there yesterday does not necessarily say anything about Tingbjerg. It can happen in many places in Copenhagen Police’s district,” Hansen said.

The shooting will now be investigated by the Independent Police Complaints Authority. Hansen therefore declined to comment further.