Christiania, Copenhagen’s hippie oasis, wants to rebuild without its illegal hashish market

By JAN M. OLSEN
Associated Press

COPENHAGEN, Denmark (AP) — The now-aging hippies who took over a derelict naval base in Copenhagen more than 50 years ago and turned it into a freewheeling community known as Christiania want to boot out criminals who control the community’s lucrative market for hashish by ripping up the cobblestoned street where it openly changes hands. Over the years, there have been many attempts to halt the illegal hashish sales which have often ended in violent clashes between criminal gangs and police, with trading then quickly resuming. The breaking up of the street is the first step in a plan to turn the hippie oasis into an integrated part of the Danish capital area.