Police arrest 16 as Aarhus treehouse occupation is cleared

Police arrested 16 people as they cleared an occupied former allotment garden area in Aarhus, DR reports. Four people living in treehouses were brought down by crane during the operation.

East Jutland Police began preparing the operation on 10 September after Aarhus Municipality asked the occupants to leave the area near Åbrinken and Brabrandstien. An activist group had set up tents between the buildings and built huts in the trees.

Police arrested 15 people during the operation at 5 a.m., while most occupants were asleep. Another person was arrested at about 12.30 p.m. after climbing a tree and refusing to come down.

The four people in the trees voluntarily descended using a crane operated by specialist units brought in from Copenhagen, according to Brian Voss Olsen, a police superintendent with East Jutland Police.

Police also removed the activists belongings and remained in the area to prevent more activists from entering. The 16 arrested people are accused of violating domestic peace under Section 264 of the Danish Criminal Code. They are not expected to appear before a custody hearing and will probably receive fines.

The group behind the occupation calls itself Abrinken. It occupied the area on 21 August, saying on its website that it opposed the municipality plan for the area and wanted to reclaim its right to urban space.