Tritnaha - a libertarian underground night-club in 1990s Stockholm
Screenshot from daily Expressen. Guests and Tritnaha celebrating in 1993 after the rules in the Stockholm region changed regarding opening times and licensing for pubs and clubs.
During the 1990s, several nightclubs in Stockholm were famous for activities regarded as dubious, illegal, and controversial. One particular case was Tritnaha due to its political profile as a place for libertarians, neo-liberals and other freedom-oriented individuals.
The club used to be at S:t Eriksgatan 89. It was started by a neo-liberal and right-wing libertarian network called Frihetsfronten (Freedom Front) to protest against contemporary local regulations and license systems regarding opening hours and serving alcohol. During the beginning of the 1990s, the majority of bars and clubs in Stockholm were not able nor allowed to be open after 2400.
Tritnaha members started offering the possibility to party until 0300 AM or even up to 0700 AM. Because Tritnaha was organised as a democratic cooperative, it was easy for its members to resist local authorities and police. Because every time the club was closed by police after a razzia, some of the other members could step in and replace the arrested ones.
Cheap beer and radical ideas - membership card
Thereby, Tritnaha was always able to renew its status despite around 30 razzias being performed. Also, members of Frihetsfronten even reported the local police to The Chancellor of Justice for being abusive against Tritnaha’s guests and for violating constitutional rights and freedoms.
During the 1990s, the term libertarian was still very new in political debates in Sweden, and most people were not familiar with its meaning. The name Tritnaha was a slang word from jokes about that it was hard for many people in Sweden to pronounce “libertarian”. The club was also filled with quotes of classical liberal thinkers as Frederic Bastiat and Friedrich Hayek. Also, the club was seen as a “civil disobedience” against politicians and “Socialist Sweden”.
One of the most famous members was the historian and liberal intellectual Johan Norberg, who used to write his articles for Frihetsfronten newspaper “Nyliberalen” (The neo-liberal).
Illegal alcohol, drug romantics, liberal politics, “nothing I regret” from an article in daily Aftonbladet.
Tritnaha closed in 1994 partly as the club members perceived that their political mission was accomplished after local politicians changed, leading to pubs and clubs being allowed to have longer opening hours. Today, a cellar mosque exists where Tritnaha used to be - another sign of how freedom and openness have changed Sweden into a more open and pluralistic society.
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