For over half a century, the hippie enclave of Christiania has stood as a bastion of counter-cultural values nestled in the heart of Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark.

A favorite spot for tourists, Christiania is renowned for its permissive stance on cannabis and its notorious marketplace, Pusher Street.

Yet, in recent times, organized crime elements have increasingly encroached upon the community, leading to a surge in violence that has unsettled its residents.

Fed up with the situation, locals took matters into their own hands. Armed with shovels and crowbars, they commenced a physical effort to reclaim the streets from drug dealers this past Saturday.

Amidst cheers of "Christiania," residents removed heavy cobblestones and carted them away in wheelbarrows, signaling the closure of Pusher Street.

Pia Jagger, a resident, described the event as a symbolic "closing party" for Pusher Street, emphasizing the community's determination to take back control.

Sofie Ostergaard, an observer, expressed her newfound sense of safety, bringing her children to join in the cleanup efforts.

Hulda Mader, a long-time resident, described the moment as historic, marking a significant milestone for Christiania's future.

Addressing misconceptions, a spokesperson for Christiania emphasized that Pusher Street does not define the community, rebuffing the notion that it represents the entirety of Christiania.

Despite the illegality of cannabis in Denmark, its open sale has persisted in Christiania for decades.

But many of the original local dealers have been pushed out, as organised gangs have wrested control. In the last three years, there has been a spate of stabbings and fatal shootings.

According to Ms Mader, the community reached a turning point about a year-and-a-half ago.

"Two people came in," she said. "They shot one dead and injured four others. That was absolutely where we said this is enough."

"We're going to dig it up. We're gonna change all the infrastructure. Then we're gonna start building other stuff."

"For us hash is not the problem, it's the money in it," Mette Prag, a representative from the Freetown Christiania Foundation, told reporters.

"But the last years with all the violence and all the fighting, we cannot have it in our society. That's why now this chapter must come to an end."

Among those present on Saturday was Danish Justice Minister Peter Hummelgaard.

"It is a day that is the beginning of the end, of the very, very deep roots that organised crime gangs have established in this neighbourhood in Copenhagen," he said.

"To safeguard that Christiania will continue to be a vibrant, colourful, creative part of Denmark, it needs to be a place without organised criminal gangs."

Tourists are still welcome to visit Christiania, he added, but not for drugs.

Ordinarily this T-shaped strip is the epicentre of Denmark's cannabis trade, where so-called pushers hawk weed from behind makeshift stacks of beer crates and plywood market stalls, labelled with names like Green Rocket and Blue Dream. Just three days ago, the BBC counted roughly 20 sellers.

Until the late 1990s it was informally tolerated, says Kim Moeller, a professor of criminology at Malmo University. But that ended in the 2000s, as the market grew bigger and more visible.

He says about five different gangs now operate, and that has brought more disputes.

"If you have a conflict between groups in Copenhagen, they can most likely find each other in Pusher Street where they can shoot at each other," says Deputy Police Inspector Simon Hansen, who oversees the Copenhagen police force's operation in Christiania.

It is often the people manning these shops who get caught up, he says. "They are sometimes kids. Sometimes people who have some kind of disability, and people who can't get a job."

Police have repeatedly raided Pusher Street but the dealers have kept coming back.

"We clear out the shops 100 times a year", Mr Hansen said. "That sounds like pushing the same rock up a mountain. But we don't want the shops to evolve to small houses and sheds."

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