This inevitably will become a political issue and thus better left discussed elsewhere.
For those not familiar with the story it is as follows: This weekend more than 1000 demonstrators have been detained by Danish policeas part of the COP15 climate summit. There had been some minor incidents before the major arrests, where part of the demonstration was isolated and detained. What is problematic is that these were in fact preemptive arrests, ie. people being arrested on the suspicion that they
might cause trouble, which is shaky legal grounds both with regards to the constitution and the human rights. Of the more than 1000 people arrested, only 4 or 5 were actualy charged with anything. The rest were released the next day. Furthermore the police ran into logistical problems after arresting this many people at once, resulting in some detainees sitting on the freezing ground for 4-5 hours without access to food, drink or sanitation.
On the other hand, those elements arrested include many from activist groups such as CJA, and riot gear and effects for street fighting has been found, indicating that certainly not all protesters intend to use peaceful means. Another consideration to bear in mind is that with this many people on the street - many families with small children included - it would have been difficult to escape or disperse in case violence erupted somewhere.
I agree with Duz tht this is an unfortunate series of events no matter how you look t it, but I don't think this is the place to discuss what's right or wrong
