Dog v. Protester

It’s been a surreal two weeks. Security around Bella Center was incredibly tight. Tall barriers were constructed around the center, engulfing entire streets. There were generally five to ten police officers at every gate, 24 hours a day, and many more than that on days when protesters were expected. On Friday, when Obama came in, guards with assault rifles were added. It was like living next to a military base.

I took these pictures from our terrace on Wednesday morning (I had a headache and it was bitter cold, so the blur in these pictures is my unsteady hands). Protesters were expected to make another attempt to push past security and get into Bella Center. But, as seemed the case the entire time, police were two steps ahead, and were clearly not going to let things chaotic, even if it meant arresting 600 people at a time. (The mass arrests were later declared illegal.)

There was a steady build-up of police that morning, and it soon became clear that they were using our building (among others) as a first line of defense. After all, it’s easier to guard the gaps between the buildings than try to stop a throng of protesters in the middle of the park.  It was a little like watching an army prepare for battle.

But, whatever battle there was took place even farther from Bella Center — at Fields (the shopping mall), and what we know about that came in the form of small updates on the Politiken website. No protester got within 100 meters of Bella Center that morning.

The only action we saw was these two guys. They were running from the police, but in a half-hearted way. Sicking the dog on them seemed excessive to me, especially since they were completely surrounded. There were probably two hundred officers in view at the time.