COPENHAGEN, Feb 17: Eleven people were arrested in Denmark for setting fires and throwing stones at police during the seventh straight night of troubles, though the violence was abating, police said on Sunday.

“We had 25 small fires overnight across Denmark, with cars and dumpsters set on fire.

That can be compared to the previous night when 169 fires were reported,” Copenhagen police chief inspector Jan Marker said.

A school in Copenhagen was also set ablaze, and part of the building was expected to burn to the ground, he said, adding that a few smaller fires had also been reported at other schools over the past two days.

Of the 11 arrested overnight, five were to be charged with arson or violence against police officers. Most of those arrested were minors, according to Marker.

More than 70 people, primarily youths of immigrant background, have been arrested across the Scandinavian country since the troubles began a week ago.

The cause of the discontent was not known. The youths, who have acted in small groups with no apparent organisation, have not spoken out about their motive. Marker suggested most youths were simply engaging in “copycat actions” without any real motive.

One of the organisers of a peaceful anti-racism demonstration held in Copenhagen on Friday, Rasmus Lingnau Amossen, told daily Politiken that many youngsters felt harassed by police and believed the police were racist.

New regulations allow police to search people at random for weapons, even without suspicion, in certain areas of Copenhagen, including the heavily immigrant areas.

“I’ve spoken with some of them and asked them why they’re doing it (rioting). And they said it was because of the harassment they’re subjected to in connection with the searches,” Amossen said.

“When police choose to stop everyone with Arab features or the wrong skin colour while they let other people pass by, it’s not about a specific effort anymore. It’s about racism,” he said.

—AFP