Copenhagen talks tough on climate protest plans

 
At an abandoned beer warehouse in this city’s Valby district, law enforcement officials have constructed an elaborate holding facility with three dozen steel cages to accommodate over 350 potential troublemakers during a UN climate conference that gets under way here on Monday.

Critics call the security preparations made as thousands of government officials, heads of state, environmental groups and assorted anarchists descend on the Danish capital — over the top. The police say the detractors’ reactions are overheated, if predictable.

“This is the biggest police action we have ever had in Danish history,” said Per Larsen, the chief coordinating officer for the Copenhagen police force.

Officials have made it clear that they aim to keep the peace during the 12-day conference, organized under UN’s auspices. From new laws rushed through parliament allowing stiffer fines and extended detentions for those deemed unruly, to public displays of anti-riot and emergency equipment, leaders here say they are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.

Meanwhile, several protest and advocacy groups have signaled that they will not be cooperating.