An activist gestures in front of a fire as Danish Police scuffle with rioters in Christiania, also known as Freetown Christiania, Copenhagen, Denmark, 14 December 2009. Police arrived five minutes after rioters installed a barrier in the middle of the street to block the area and lighted a fire inside Christiania when Police arrived. Christiania is a self-proclaimed autonomous neighborhood or large commune of about 850 residents, covering 34 hectares in the borough of Christianshavn, Copenhagen, that has a unique status in being regulated by a special law, the Christiania Law of 1989 which transfers parts of the supervision of the area from the municipality of Copenhagen to the state. The place has been a source of controversy since its creation in a squatted military area in 1971, and a place of choice for demonstrators who have come to the Danish capital during the Climate conference. EPA/YOAN VALAT +++(c) dpa – Bildfunk+++