The leader of the Danish volunteer group Natteravnene has warned about the culture at so-called puttefester, days after a 16-year-old boy was fatally stabbed near one such party in Roskilde.
Jakob Bové, who heads Natteravnene in Denmark, spoke about the parties on Monday. As reported by DR, he described them as an accident waiting to happen. According to Bové, the events work like a pressure cooker of many young people, alcohol, possible drugs and group pressure.
Both police and 17 volunteers from Natteravnene were present in Folkeparken in Roskilde on Friday, when upper-secondary students held a puttefest there. DR reports that a stabbing close to the park ended with the death of a 16-year-old boy.
Sjællandske Nyheder reports that police received the report of the stabbing near Folkeparken at around 17:30 on Friday evening. Another 16-year-old was arrested and later remanded in custody in the case. Per Ekstra Bladet, Midt- og Vestsjællands Politi describes the killing as an internal dispute between two peers, not linked to criminal networks.
Puttefester are informal parties held for new first-year upper-secondary students at the start of the school year. They gather students from several schools in parks across the country. According to Bové, Natteravnene experience the events as resting on a boundary-crossing culture.
He points to the tradition where new students wear white T-shirts, on which classmates write derogatory or sexual comments. Bové calls that a regrettable development that has continued, and says it shows the lack of limits at the parties.
Calls for dialogue instead of a ban
Roskilde’s mayor, Tomas Breddam (S), and the rector of Roskilde Gymnasium, Henrik Nevers, have both said that the city should not host puttefester. DR reports that Nevers points to a very violent alcohol culture at the events. Dagens.dk adds that hundreds of students gather in Folkeparken each year, and that the boy who died attended Himmelev Gymnasium.
Bové argues that it will be difficult to ban a party organized by the students themselves. Instead, he says the students should be asked what they want, so the tradition does not simply repeat itself. He believes dialogue with the young people is missing.
Rectors and education leaders in Roskilde have decided to meet on Tuesday morning to discuss the future of the parties. Ahead of that meeting, the mayor has signaled that puttefester should be stopped, according to DR.
The investigation into the killing continues. Ekstra Bladet reports that police are looking into whether a video of the stabbing exists, and have asked anyone with information or recordings to come forward.
