By Martin Lassen-Vernal and Brendan Sweeney
Dr Jonas Christoffersen, Director of the Danish Institute for Human Rights, criticised the use of new Danish police legislation - the so-called 'Hooligan Package' - in this weekend's demonstrations, where up to 1,300 demonstrators were detained as part of police efforts to crack down on hostile demonstrators.
“Some of the detained activists told the media that they had to urinate in their pants while they sat bound in freezing temperatures for hours. I think most people will find that very degrading, and it is clear that such treatment of detainees, peaceful or not, is not acceptable,” he said.
“Before this summit we had not seen detentions on such a massive scale, and I think it's a worrying development for peaceful demonstrators. When the police go after such a large group of protesters, one must be aware that many of them will be innocent,” continued Jonas Christoffersen.
He stated that it is a democratic problem when people's right to assemble and express themselves freely comes under this kind of pressure, and he believes the treatment of the detained protesters was "very regrettable".
Police admit errors
Jonas Christoffersen points out, however, that a number of police officials including Chief Police Inspector, Per Larsen, of the Copenhagen Police, acknowledged that the treatment of the detainees on Friday afternoon was not good enough.
“I note that the police now intend to improve their transport capacity and provide mats for the detainees. In addition, it is also important that the police make sure that all detainees are informed of their rights under the Danish Constitution,” concluded Jonas Christoffersen.
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