Two years after the cartoons of the Prophet Muhammad were published in Morgenavisen Jyllands-Posten, they still haunt Danish public space. Last week, the police apprehended three persons who are accused of plotting to assassinate one of the cartoonists. The one that drew the Prophet with a bomb in his turban. Hmm. Here in my town even. Hmm.
Congratulations to the police. They prevented a terrible act that, had it been realised, would have resulted in even more grief for the family of the cartoonist who have undeniably suffered unfairly in the aftermath of the row. It would also have spun the arguments about Islamic extremism in Denmark out of control and out of focus. I commend them for good work.
The issue brought back the debate about freedom of expression. And in intensified another discussion which has been going on for some years now, namely that of extraditions based on criminal activities of non-Danish citizens. Two of the three do not have Danish citizenship and face an immediate deportation order under the Terrorism Act in Danish law. This allows for extraditions without previous trial or the possibility for appeal - of persons dangerous to state security. The two men who are orginally from Tunisia have not denied their plans to kill the cartoonist but encouraged by the debate among politicians started wondering if this is right. They claim they will be subjected to torture if they return to Tunisia.
It seems to me that these men were a threat to the cartoonist, not to the Danish state. BUT - very importantly - they don't know what they are accused of and neither do we, the Danish public. It seems reasonable to assume that persons who would carry out a plan to assassinate someone they disagree with in this matter would resort to worse actions involving more people if they were pissed off enough. My problem is that I don't know the merits of their case. So I can't really form an opinion. Public debate about these two is irrelevant since no one has any idea what actually went on, or what will happen if they are extradited.
More urgent in this matter is the accidental coinciding of this issue and a so-called street war between the police and 'second generation immigrants' in Copenhagen. A new attempt to counter drug dealings and the weapon's market in the streets of Nørrebro allows for random searches of any suspicious looking person in certain zones of Copenhagen. The 'non-white' inhabitants of these areas ostensibly felt harassed and unfairly targetted by the police. Thus, over the weekend they resorted to pillaging, burning and wrecking of cars, houses, schools and what not - copying the actions of 'youth rebels' from the infamous Ungdomshuset, a building originally inhabited by squatters and until recently the home of urban youth on the fringes of society. The municipality gave the house to the movement back in the 80s but some bureaucratic mistake eventually ended up in the sale of the property to a fundamentalist Christian sect who tore it down in less than a day. The actions of 'immigrant youth' this past week are perfectly modelled over last year's civil disobedience connected to the sale of Ungdomshuset.
Over the week, the destructive tendencies have spread to other parts of the country where 'disgruntled youth' burn down public buildings at large. Also here, as Aarhus is a city with a large minority population. A notorious group of these have made life difficult for others in 'ghetto' for years. It added to the fire that the original drawings from JP were re-published in many Danish newspapers after the case last week. The 'street fighters' shout conflicting slogans at the police, not entirely sure what they are against - or what they're fighting for.
I'm tired. I'm tired of dealing with the same issues, hearing the same arguments and positions from the same people that have nothing new to bring to the table and nothing new to suggest as solution. I'm tired of 'disgruntled youth' who claim their rights - right as they might be - by destroying property and thereby harassing people who have no business in their rights claims. I don't want to defend them, I don't want to be against them. I don't want to keep guessing why people react this way, I just want to people to GET REAL. Start talking, stop complaining, start fixing, stop bickering. Enough from all sides already!
I have a friend who works in Kosova/o. Her status on facebook at the moment is 'living history'. Undeniably. The events in the region over the weekend are truly historic. And most of the Kosovars are happy, celebrating, enjoying the independence they believe they've deserved. Danes of Kosovar origin travelled there last week and one can only imagine what it must be like to seek refuge from tyranny in one's home country - and then be able to return and see the dream one fled for come true. 
But I have my worries. 10 per cent of the population in Kosova/o are not happy with independence. Their feelings of freedom is connected to that of dependence on Serbia - and they must fear for their future in a self-governed Kosova/o. The region has been under UN control since 1999 and is still heavily dependent on help from EU, OSCE and the UN. Some initiatives have been truly democratic, some processes have honoured the intention to create a democracy impenetrable by nationalistic forces on either side. But my visits there in 2005 made me worry about minority protection and equality. UNMIK failed gracelessly in the attempt to consolidate dialogue and cooperation between the new nation's ethnic groups. By now, the Kosovar Serbs have migrated to the north - closest to Serbia.
(Picture of the list of missing persons - in January 2005 there were still over 3000 missing, disappeared during the violent conflict in 1999)
