House Occupation News

The latest status of squats in Istanbul (Oct 2018)

– Yeldeğirmeni, Don Kişot: Began during Summer 2013. Evicted in November 2015. Torn down in November 2016. A new building rises now instead of squat.

– Kadıköy, Caferağa: Began in Autumn 2013. Evicted in December 2014. Back then, activists had organized the largest demo ever in Turkey to protest a squat eviction (https://bit.ly/2ypyMuO). Burnt down in November 2016.

– Beşiktaş, Berkin Elvan: Began in Spring 2014. Evicted in a month…

– Söğütlüçeşme, Samsa: Began in Spring 2014. Abandoned by many activists by Winter 2015. The building stands still as doors locked.

– Acıbadem, Lojman: Began in Winter 2016. Its anarchist collective has largely been dissolved by Summer 2016. As of October 2018, Lojman is still being maintained as a de-facto squat by several occupiers. Restricted access. For short stays, visits and other queries, please contact: lojman@@@riseup.net

*There are ongoing guerilla gardening (bostan) projects as well. Some of those areas are located on squatted sites like Roma Bostani in Cihangir.

Montreuil (Paris-banlieue): opening of l’Écharde

Monday October 1st, 2018, while Jardin d’Alice‘s docile artists were giving back their building’s keys (at 19 rue Garibaldi, in Montreuil), about thirty people came to disrupt their plans, occupying the building. After three years of caretaking, this space was about to be given back to Nexity, French “master” of property business, who is managing the building on behalf of the EPFIF (Public Land Office of the Paris region). While the state is trying to empty the meaning of housing struggles by signing precarious occupancy agreements to artists (like Jardin d’Alice) and zadists, while the left-wing mayors talk about requisitioning to scrounge a few ballot papers, we, like many others, are squatting. With the next metro at la Boissière [a Montreuil neighborhood], the renewal of Bas-Montreuil [another Montreuil neighborhood] and more generally the project of integration of the city into “Grand Paris”, the social outcasts are relegated to distant suburbs. When we snatch living spaces from the owners, we dont want to compensate for the shortcomings of the state, but to be offensive against the state.

L’Écharde [the Splinter] is not only a living space, it is also a self-organized squat for political activities. Some projects are already begun, articulating different struggles, notably around housing, against borders, prisons and all kinds of internment. Other perspectives will come from the encounters happening at l’Écharde or in the streets, in demonstrations, in university occupations or economic blockades… We would like l’Écharde to amplify the struggles that do exist, and to be a space from which to attack what oppresses us. In a few words, long live the struggle for freedom!

Ends and means are linked. This space is anti-authoritarian, therefore anti-capitalist, a non-commercial space, and against all forms of domination. Without parties or trade-unions, we want to put in place our own ways of organization. Because we know that each of us can reproduce relationships of power, we will be attentive to the oppressive behaviors we can convey, by taking them in hand without delegating them to the institutions.

On these bases, l’Écharde is intended to welcome discussions, meetings, projections, meals, regular or occasional activities and other political events. You can come and propose an initiative every Sunday at 5pm, during the public assembly created for the organization of the collective spaces. The first one will be on Sunday, October 21st.

We invite you on Saturday October, 20th, at 6pm, place de la fraternité in Montreuil, for a gathering and a collective stroll towards l’Écharde, where a meal will be served around 8pm.

Amsterdam: ADM update, October 14th 2018

Dear ADM newsletter receivers: at last, a newsletter from the ADM. Many of you have been following ADM news and updates through Farcebook but here is our one and only independent home made newsletter on October 12th 2018, the 21st ADM birthday. We’ve enjoyed a sensational three day Viva ADMfestival in september, but this week a historic 21 year anniversary surprise was the concert by the world famous Concertgebouworkest on the ADM, which finished with everyone singing happy birthday for the ADM.

CONTENT:

1 ADM general update

2 Support ADM defend free spaces

3 ADM heritage goes Europe/ ADM in the Guardian

4 ADM Climate Call

5 ADM meets ZAD

6 ADM on Future Play

1 ADM GENERAL UPDATE October 7th. 2018

Another Amsterdam’ city council committee meeting FEZ (Finance & Economy) took place on October 3rd, with the ADM terrain on the agenda. To most councillors it is obvious that no shipyard will be started, which is the only activity that is legally allowed on the ADM terrain (43 ha) and the only planned activity that could formally justify an eviction. In spite of the controversy and contradictory expertise, Udo Kock, the alderman (wethouder) insisted he does not have a choice [CONTINUE READING] but to evict the ADM because of the law and verdicts of previous legal procedures. Some would think respecting the law would mean waiting until the legal fight against the permission for an asbestos removal company to start on the ADM terrain is over. There is no date set for this appeal, and our Green Left council accepts that eviction comes first and getting our right as citizens is of minor importance.

To ease the pain, the council offered individual ADMers contracts to participate in sharing a 2 ha piece of industrial wasteland beside the A10 motorway in the north of Amsterdam, for the duration of just two years. This terrain comes with many other restrictions on cultural events, very little space to work and no communal or public spaces allowed. But there is not enough room for even half the ADMrs, and where are all the ships supposed to go? Were do the ADM monumental art installations fit? Needless to say that the ADMforest, habitat for wild animals and rare species will not be relocated… The ADM is expected to abandon everything that has been developed in 21 years and pack up in a few weeks time.

ADMrs have also proposed additional and more suitable locations, but nothing concrete has come out so far or is likely to be realised before the 25th of December, the date that everyone on the ADM terrain is expected to have moved out voluntarily. To date the best practical option is to keep what is already here.

Why evict anyway for some plan that does not even fit the restrictions of the zoning plan, only to be able to get rid of the entire ADM community from the terrain? The real reason is that without the restriction on land use, or with a local authority that is not bothered to ensure that the restrictions are respected, the terrain will increase five times in value. The ONLY people that will benefit from an eviction are the Chidda’s (The heirs of Bertus Lüske), who are jumping on this chance to multiply their fortune. A fortune that was made with public money, since the council paid the family millions to give up their property in town, in order to clear the inner city of money laundering, thuggery and intimidation associated with the family business. Money that was then used to buy the ADM terrain.

The ADMrs have put in a massive effort to look for realistic alternatives for the ADM terrain, to continue to keep every option open while trying to convince the council of the value of the ADM, fitting exactly into the brand new coalition priorities. But to no avail so far. It is now up to all of us, to all of Amsterdam and to the worldwide community that is connected to the ADM to put a stop to this madness and create a better future for the ADM and the rest of Amsterdam.

2. ADM SUPPORT: an overwhelming number of people have asked us how to support the ADM:

Help us get the message out to your community: use your own media ,mailing lists and publications. Get connected and help the ADM to connect to your initiative.

Keep in mind it is not just the ADMers that will suffer from eviction, all of us risk losing a very important meeting place for Amsterdam and international free culture. If we let them take the ADM, the pressure on the next collective housing/work project or independent venue will only increase, as the value of real estate in this city booms. Look at what is happening to social housing and small businesses. In short, Amsterdam is becoming too expensive and too boring for ordinary and extraordinary people.

So, first of all: Come to the ADEV street parade on Saturday October 20 and dress up, bring banners, painted umbrella’s, good spirits, and make our BIG presence felt. The theme of this year’s parade is Save ADM and Save Free Spaces.

Soon after ADEV there will be a meeting of grass-roots organisations and free space defenders from around town to discuss how to best defend ADM and our shared interests.

The ADM support group meets a few times a week and has a long to do list: we need help with writing and translating updates and stories, designing art work, gathering radiocontent, cooking, decormaking for ADEV, banner fixing, distributing, postersticking around town etc. etc. etc. get in touch with the ADM support group: media [at] adm [dot] amsterdam

– We re designing new ADM posters and stickers but send us your own designs too. Or just go ahead and print and distribute them. Posters for the ADEV can be picked up at Fort van Sjakoo

– Make a banner and hang it on your building or on other strategic sites. Examples: [webpage] Or come and help our banner team

– We are planning a big market this autumn and will need event volunteers.

– We are planning several other street protest actions, but cannot be too specific yet, check our website for latest. Please do not hesitate to organise your own solidarity action.

– ADM will open a ‘pop up consulate’ in town.

– and if none of the above appeals to you then send us your money!

ADM TOO BIG TO FAIL — WE ADM — FREE SPACE NOW — ETC ETC

3 ADM HERITAGE GOES EUROPEAN:

With the help of Electra Leda Koutra, our Greek human rights lawyer and ADM supporter, we are starting up a court case at The Human Rights Court in Strasbourg, since the Dutch court failed in safeguarding the rights of the peoples that are living at ADM. The case is focussed on :
– the right to live in the way people have chosen to.
– the right of preserving the cultural and artistic heritage of the ADM
A 21 year old established living culture and community like the ADM is entitled to protection under European Human Rights law. These cases take an average 5 years, so the lawyer will apply for a ‘temporary measure’, in order to postpone the eviction date of December 25th. 2018
The ADM has applied to the Centre for Immaterial Heritage of the Netherlands to obtain official recognition, and visited their meeting last week to talk about the application in progress. https://www.immaterieelerfgoed.nl/

ADM in the Guardian https://www.theguardian.com/cities/gallery/2018/oct/08/life-amsterdam-biggest-squat-amsterdamse-droogdok-maatschappij-in-pictures

4 ADM BIODIVERSITY and CLIMATE CALL:

This summer we made a climate call to the Amsterdam council to protect the ADM forest and wildlife. The call was endorsed by environmental organisations such as URGENDA, Dwars (the Green Left Youth organisation), ASEED etc. If your organisation wants to co-sign the call, drop us a line media [at] adm [dot] amsterdam. READ the CLIMATE CALL: https://adm.amsterdam/article/klimaatoproep-red-de-adm-biotoop

Local political party Bij1 fully endorses the call, but the rest of the councillors kept quiet so far. We followed up this week with a reminder, after the latest UN report climate alarm. On October 8 Urgenda won a major court victory against the Dutch state, which is now legally obliged to cut greenhouse gas emissions according to international agreements. Interestingly the only fast way to cut national carbon emmissions is by shutting down the huge old Hemweg coal power plant opposite the ADM. This adds a major new dimension and perspective to the port/industrial zone around the ADM.

5 ADM MEETS ZAD in Paradiso: On Wednesday October 10 an ADM participated in a public event with members of ZAD (Zone A Defendre) in France. ZAD is a large occupied area, where the farmers and other occupants won a long battle to stop the development of an airport in a beautiful rural area close to Nantes, in spite of all the odds. They effectively resisted eviction and have built up nationwide support by continuing to share their message of sustainable farming and living on commonland. They shared their experience of unity in diversity and inclusion of every type of activism, from lobbywork to blockades by 30.000 supporters. A very inspiring evening for all present.

6 ADM at Future Play: On the 30th birthday of the Nieuw & Meer collective in the South of Amsterdam a new map was presented of the Culturele Stelling van Amsterdam, a string of independant cultural centres and collectives – most of which started as big squat centres – and includes the ADM. The presentation was followed by talks about what kind of future lies ahead for independent culture, how to organise community and how to reinforce strong networks and communities when squatting has become criminalised.

7. WHAT ARE THE POLITICIANS DOING?

A dedicated ADM lobby group has devoted itself to influencing local politicians. Although the previous council missed every chance to prevent the current situation with the ADM terrain, new expectations arose after the Green Left won the local elections this year: Amsterdam now has a Green Left council majority and a Green Left Mayor. In a final bid to convince the councillors of what this city stands to lose if the ADM is lost, ADMers have compiled dozens and dozens of statements and presented them in beautifully crafted treasure boxes for each aldermaster and the mayor. Up till now the ADM received not a single response to the theatrical presentation and impressive content. Link naar introbrief TB place on website.

The city council could buy back the ADMproperty back [continue], and the city of Amsterdam could cash the increased value of the land in stead of a private company. Why not decide to keep the ADM terrain with the priceless treasure of the ADM community in place – or at least keep it there until a comparable location is realised. Leftwing councillors are asking for an economic survey into this option, which the economics aldermaster Udo Kok refuses to produce – but he could be pushed to do this by a council vote. At the same time the Alderman tried to wipe out the agreement made in 2017 stating that Mayor and Aldermen cannot take any steps related to ADM that would be irreverible without first consulting the entire council. This attempt was blocked by council members.

The ADM will speak on the meeting of the council Committee of Culture on October 17th covering Art, Diversity and Improved Democracy as outlined by the Green Left Party intentions. There will be two more council committee meetings where the ADM will be discussed: Oct 18 and Nov 1st, with ADM speakers. Two more council meetings are planned before the 25 of December, on November 7 and 8. Let’s get the ADM message to the new council out loud and clear now:

YOU WANT WHAT WE’RE ALREADY DOING

9 AGENDA:

Every sunday: food + music in the ADM Bar + ADMradio Papillon broadcast

Every Tuesday: ADM support group meet up: mail for details

October 20th : ADEV street parade, Amsterdam in defence of ADM and Free Spaces

End of October: Free Zone grassroots organisations meeting

December 4th: public debate Free Experimental Zones – Pakhuis de Zwijger organised by ADM, 15h00. with experts, politicians, scientists on regelluwe zones, artists, architects etc.

21 December and onwards: Christmas market

December 31st: New Years Eve party

ADM
Hornweg 6, 1045AR, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://squ.at/r/5g4
https://adm.amsterdam/

https://adm.amsterdam/article/adm-update-october-14th-2018

Germany: We squatted Mannheim! Friedenstrasse 44 occupied

Two weeks ago humans were chased from their homes in Hambacher Forst. Whilst the main public focus was on the protests in the forest, already for years people have been forced out of the surrounding villages. And so also in Mannheim.
Rather than only concerning local inhabitants, coal mining in the Rhineland is also a global problem.
It doesn‘t matter if it‘s a question of the dormouse seeing their old oak being destroyed, local farmers seeing their fields dry out and settlements being torn down, humans having to leave the streets in which they first learnt to ride a bicycle, or Peruvian villages being threatened by melting glaciers. All living creatures suffer in common, from this problem from the behaviour of RWE and this destructive culture in general. Multinationals like RWE and politicians need to take responsibility for this issue. If they are not willing to change their methods of energy production, then we as ordinary people are obliged to act.
We are not willing to accept the destruction of these homes, so we‘re occupying them to prevent this. In doing so, we intend to open up a space for free and self-organised living, one that encourages creativity and quality of life and supports each one another in the struggles against RWE. We demand from RWE to give those people the houses back who want to return.
Living in rural areas became attractive to a lot of humans. Far away from an anonymous life in small, unpayable flats in the concrete jungles all over the world where people can help each other, live together and where living projects of different generations can be possible.
We want to make this possible together in unity. With people who live together in Mannheim since decades. With people who lived here and already left with their families. With people who came here to fight the structural destruction of nature. And with people who were forced to flee from their homes in other parts of the world, just to be chased away once again from here.

We are standing against the respectless destruction of all types of living spaces!
Let‘s make homes out of empty buildings and create new perspectives for us all.

Saturday 13 october at 14:00
Friedenstrasse 44, 50170 Mannheim

https://en-contrainfo.espiv.net/2018/10/12/hambach-forest-we-squatted-manheim/
https://hambacherforst.org/blog/2018/10/12/manheim-besetzung/

Book: Fighting for Spaces, Fighting for our Lives

Squatting everywhere kollective (SqEK) aims with this book to move beyond the conventional understandings of squatting, investigating its history in different places over the past four decades.

While waves of repression against squatters seem to spread across many places, attacking and shutting down its remaining squatting strongholds and its historical spaces of rebellion, some squatted social centres manage to persist and new occupied zones arise – successfully defended through public mobilization and widespread solidarity, alongside militant action. At the same time, squatting has seen a rebirth as a tool of radical praxis in movements fighting against the rising number of evictions and foreclosures during the financial crisis, facing the policies of racism and creating open spaces for refugees, migrants and people of colour. The collected essays, first-hand accounts and photographs in this book do not intend to offer an over-arching narrative of where the squatters movement is heading. Instead the book provides glimpses into a diverse and multi-faceted movement, with accounts from local struggles, experiences of repression and stories of collective forms of life which have grown out of squatted spaces in various cities and countries throughout the world, including accounts from Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Seattle and Australia.

PDF available to download (10MB)

Source

Amsterdam: ADM news update

Another Amsterdam council meeting took place on October 3 in the Committee for Economic Affairs. To most councillors it is obvious that there will not be a shipyard here, which is the only activity that is legally allowed on the ADM terrain (26 ha). In spite of the controversy and contradictory expertise the Aldermaster (wethouder) insisted he does not have a choice but to evict the ADM because he has to uphold the law.

Of course most people feel that respecting the law would mean waiting until the legal fight against the permission for an asbestos company to start on the ADM terrain is over. There is no date set for this appeal, and our left/green council accepts that eviction comes first, and that getting our right as citizens is of minor importance.

To ease the pain the council is offering the current ADMers a 2 ha piece of polluted wasteland beside the A10 motorway in the north of Amsterdam, for the duration of only two years. With this land come many restrictions: no more cultural events or festivals, very little space to work and no communal or public spaces. There is not enough room for even half the ADMers, and where are all the ships supposed to go? The ADM forest, habitat for wild animals and rare species will not be relocated…

ADMers have been looking around for additional alternatives, but nothing concrete has come out so far or is likely to be realised before the 25 of december, the date that everyone on the ADM terrain is expected to have moved out voluntarily. To date the only realistic option is to keep what is here. Why evict for some hardly realistic business plan, which is all that is needed to get rid of the ADM community.

Without restrictions on land use, or with a local authority that can not be bothered to ensure the restrictions are respected, the terrain will at least triple in value. The ONLY people that will benefit from an eviction are the owners of the terrain, who are jumping on this chance to multiply their fortune. A fortune that was made with public money, as the council paid millions to get the family to give up their properties in town, in order to clear the inner city of the whitewashing, thuggery and intimidation that secured the family business.

The ADMers have put in a massive effort to look for realistic alternatives and to continue to keep every option open, and to try and convince the council of the value of the ADM, fitting exactly into the brand new coalition priorities. But to no avail so far. It is now up to all of us, to all of Amsterdam and to the worldwide community that is connected to the ADM to put a stop to this madness and create a better future for the ADM and the rest of Amsterdam.

ADM
Hornweg 6, 1045AR, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://squ.at/r/5g4
https://adm.amsterdam/

https://adm.amsterdam/article/adm-update-october-7-2018

Utrecht: Defend the Swamp. Come to the court case!

After 5 years of creating alternative living spaces with nature, the Swamp, Kanaleneiland, is being threatened with destruction.
The state and the company Borghese are working hand in hand to turn the Swamp’s beautiful young forest into asphalt to then build a distribution centre and a bus remise, while there are alternative locations for these projects where the destruction of nature isn’t necessary.
From the Hambach Forest and ZAD evictions, to the ADM case and the expansion of the A27, time after time, people and nature have to defend themselves against capitalist greed and neoliberalist development policies.
The Swamp became a space of living and sharing with people and nature, outside of consumption trends. In a city where the waiting list for expensive “social housing” is endless, we decided to build our own houses and work in a sustainable and self-sufficient way. In Kanaleneiland in particular, only a couple of years back social housing was sold to private corporations behind people’s backs.
While the Netherlands presents itself as a “green country”, green spaces in the city keep on disappearing. We are not the only ones being evicted from the Swamp. Birds, rabbits, bats, bees and other animals and insects will also lose their living spaces.
We won’t keep silent. We won’t just leave. Come to the court case and join the struggle to save the Swamp.

Wednesday 10th of October, Vrouwe Justitiaplein 1, Utrecht
14.00h : Soup
15.00h: Court case

The Swamp
Gelderlantlaan, Utrecht
Netherlands
https://squ.at/r/6b2z

https://www.indymedia.nl/node/44493

Durban (South Africa): Abahlali to march against state repression, threats and assassinations

Friday, 4 October 2018
Abahlali baseMjondolo press statement

On Monday 8 October Abahlali baseMjondolo will march against repression in Durban. There will be solidarity protests in Cape Town, Johannesburg and New York. Since our movement was founded in 2005 we have faced waves of repression including assault, arrest, torture in police custody, organised campaigns of slander, the destruction of our homes, death threats, the murder of our members during protests and evictions, and the targeted assassination of our leaders. The price for land and dignity has been paid in blood.

This repression comes from a very clear source – the ANC. The Anti-Land Invasion Unit and the police are part of the state that is controlled by the ANC. When we were attacked by the ANC in Kennedy Road in 2009 the police supported the attack, and the criminal justice system was grossly misused to support the attack. Senior ANC politicians like Willies Mchunu supported the attempt to drive us out of Kennedy Road with violence. This was not an isolated instance. In 2013 it was widely reported that the assassination of Nkululeko Gwala took place hours after public threats were made against him by another senior ANC politician, Sibongiseni Dhlomo.

Usually the threats against our comrades, and the assassinations that sometimes follow these threats, come from local ANC councillors. They use the izinkabi (hitmen) to carry out the assassinations. It is clear that the local councillors understand that they get their permission to make these threats, and to hire the izinkabi to do their dirty work, from the statements made by senior ANC politicians. We have noted the increase in threats following recent statements made by Zandile Gumede and Nelly Nyanisa.

After long struggle we have secured convictions in two cases. Two ANC councillors and their gun man are now serving life imprisonment for the assassination of Thuli Ndlovu, our chairperson in KwaNdengezi, in 2014. A police officer is serving a ten year sentence for the murder of Nqobile Nzuza, who was 17 years old at the time of her death, in Cato Crest.

Last year we lost four comrades. So far this year we have lost two comrades with S’fiso Ngcobo being the latest to be killed. He was murdered by three gunmen in Marianhill on the 22 May 2018. There has never been any arrest for Ngcobo’s murder. In fact it is clear that there has been no investigation. Just like many other comrades he was killed with impunity.

On the 12 July the Mayor of Durban and the Chief Whip in the eThekwini council made open threats to our movement and our leader S’bu Zikode. The police officers who confirmed that a hit had been planned on Zikode’s life have done nothing to protect him. Zikode’s car has been tampered with on two occasions and he has been forced into hiding. In the Eastern Cape our chairperson Fano Mathumbu, and two of Abahlali’s secretaries, have all had to go in hiding after Inkosi Thulani Mjanyelwa was killed in broad day light by a gang. When the killers were taken to court they were supported by people in ANC t-shirts.

Nobody in government has taken these killing seriously. We have appeared before the Moerane Commission which was set up to investigate political killing in KwaZulu-Natal to give testimony but that has not helped us. The Interministerial Committee instituted by President Ramaphosa to look at the political killings has not included Abahlali in its investigation. It is only concerned about the killings within the ruling party.

In June this year we wrote to President Cyril Ramaphosa and Minister Bheki Cele about all this. We received no cooperation from them.

We have laid charges of against those who intimidate us and those who threaten us with death.

The repression that we have faced, and continue to face, places huge strain on our movement, and on families and individuals. The ANC have exploited the fact that we are being forced to operate in crisis mode to try and infiltrate our movement. They have not succeeded. Open democratic practices, and especially open assemblies in which everyone can speak freely, are our best defence against infiltration.

The ANC in Durban operates like a mafia. There is no distinction between criminality and politics. The rest of the country needs to understand this clearly and to face this directly.

We will march against the violence against our movement and our leaders, and all other activists, in Durban on Monday, 8 October 2018. We will gather at Curries Fountain (DUT) from 8 am then march into the city centre where a memorandum of demands will be handed over at the Durban City Hall at 12pm. The march in Durban will be supported by organised street traders, including the Market Users Committee, as well as Ubunye Bamahostela, the Congolese Solidarity Campaign and comrades from the National Union of Metal Workers of South Africa (NUMSA) and the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU).

Solidarity marches have been organised by our comrades in Cape Town and Johannesburg. Our comrades in New York City in the United States will protest at the South African High Commission.

We have written to President Ramaphosa and the Minister of Police to receive our memorandum.

We will demand an end to violence against our movement and all other struggling communities. We will demand the right to free and democratic organising outside of the ANC. We will demand that all the murders of our comrades be properly investigated. We will demand that all threats made by councillors, as well as the Mayor, be investigated. And, yes, we will demand that our leaders in hiding be protected.

For comment from Abahlali baseMjondolo contact:
Mqapheli Bonono 073 067 3274
Zanele Mtshali 062 437 9077
Thapelo Mohapi 072 072 0686

For comment from the Market Users Committee, contact Verushka Memdutt on 083 311 6397

For comments from the CBD Street Traders, contact Richard Shezi on 072 324 0461

For comment from the Congolese Solidarity Campaign, contact Raphael Bahebwa on 063 152 4082

For comment from the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa (NUMSA), contact Phakamile Hlubi-Majola on 083 376 7725

For comment from the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU), contact Khonzeni Mkhize on 084 447 3071

For comment on the solidarity protest in Johannesburg, contact Thami on 062 624 5992

For comment on the solidarity protest in Cape Town, contact Bels on 067 145 8744

Zagreb: Presentation about squatting in Croatia. Call for support by the BEK collective

Presentation and discussion about squatting in Croatia, during the Van sistema DIY fest, on 6 October 2018 at the BEK squat in Zagreb: “Our colleague squatter Damir Batarelo will have a presentation about squatting in Croatia, as well as about the squatting scene, its history and context. After his presentation, there will be an open-table discussion so – squatters of the world unite! Come and let us emerge in sharing experiences and let’s talk about the foundations of the squatter solidarity network not only in this area, but wider.” The festival program: https://squ.at/r/69vf

Call for support by the BEK collective, autonomous space for free social and cultural activities.

When talking about our story, first of all, we want to emphasize that one day, hopefully soon, this will really become OUR story. A story of all included, anyone who wants to participate, a story of a community that builds it’s own part of a creative and self-sustainable space, a story of no one left aside. We want to make a new spot for all of us who don’t have a place to create and invest their time into, and for us who don’t have money or access to social and cultural programs that we can be a part of.
We are BEK collective, a group of enthusiastic young people, emerged from the “Food not Bombs” collective, who squatted an old abandoned school at the beginning of 2018. The building is located in the heart of Croatia’s capital city Zagreb. It was built in the 1940’s and it has 2500m2 on three floors. From 1950 until recently it was an educational centre for blind and visually impaired children. In the march of 2015 during long needed renovation works that just started it was halted and permanently closed as an educational institution.
The government did not provide adequate solutions for a new building that could satisfy the children’s needs nor to stop the further decay of the closed building.
Due to the lack of autonomous spaces in our city that can offer us free content in which we can participate, we occupied a rotting building with the idea of giving it a new life.
Anarchist ideas and values have been the core of our organisation and praxis since the beginning. All of our decisions are made together on weekly assemblies with an open agenda and equal participation. We nourish the idea of an alternative economy based on giving and exchange.
So far, we managed to host a number of social and cultural activities. All of our activities are free and based on donations from people. A group of us also live in the building, so we have already begun work on fixing our house and making sure that it is ready for the upcoming winter.
This is a part of our story where we need you to help us with your donations so we can continue with our free-for-all programs and to start cooperative projects with refugees and homeless people in our community.
Part of the funds collected will be used for fixing and isolating the leaking roof, for repairs of the rooms and ceilings damaged by humidity and mould, and for setting up a heating system in some rooms. (We are talking about 2500m2 of space).
Considering that we depend only on donations and participation, and are completely independent from state policy (like proper anarchists), we still don’t have enough money for all the materials and construction work. We want to be completely self-sustainable, with our own renewable energy system, greenhouse and vertical gardens.


Projects current and future
*Public kitchen – We recycle food from local markets twice a week, and on Wednesdays and Saturdays we invite our neighbours and friends to cook with us, and offer free diner for anyone in need of a warm meal. In the near future, public dinners will be on every day of the week. The costs of gas, oil and dry ingredients are covered by collective donations.
*Open art studio – We offer a free space with materials for artist to come and create, for the paints and materials, for art workshops (cost free for the participants).
*Gallery – We host a gallery open for all types of exhibitions, without prejudice or censorship.
*Library – We collected all sorts of donated books in Croatian, English, Serbian, Bosnian, Hungarian and soon hope to have in other languages based on the needs of the community.
*Free shop – We have a collaboration with local “Students for refugees” on collecting supplies for refugees hot zones in the region, in addition to the regular free shop that we have set up.
*Concert, jams – We promote local bands concerts with guest form all around the world, exchanging culture and good energy, so far we have had bands from Spain, Italy, France… Jams are a great way of making new friends and our roof offers an amazing backdrop for live music. Thanks to our friends we are now making many events with their borrowed equipment, but for us to do it properly we would need to invest in sound equipment (active sound system, mixer, microphones, PAs…).
*Counterculture Cinema – We have been showing movies, but borrowing a projector can be difficult. We are working on setting up an experimental cinema for showing educational, subversive and anarchist materials.
*Garden – We planted a garden this year and watched it grow with us, now we are harvesting the vegetables and to be completely self-sustainable we would like to set up a greenhouse on the roof, so we could keep water away from the damaged roof and grow fresh greens all through the winter. Some materials for the green house we have been recycling. We need to build the construction of a plexiglass roof for the 250m2 green house with water drainage.
*Free alternative clinic – We are connected with people that have experience with running free clinics, people who, like us, believe in a holistic approach to treating illness and traumas. With their help we will learn to run our free alternative clinic with herbal apothecary.
*Homeless shelter – We are in the process of setting up a shelter for the most vulnerable members of our community through the winter. We want them to have a warm place to sleep and shower, eat warm meals and be included in activities and workshops.
*Free workshop space – We believe in DIY and for that we have set up a place for crafts and building, free for anyone in need of space and tools. We want to learn as much as possible and to make our space more functional.
*Donation bar – Cafe 23 will be in our front yard and hall. We imagine it as a place where we can meet with our neighbours, friends and wanderers over a cup of coffee or tea, something that we do here in Croatia.
*Circus theatre – Our gym will be used by different performance and circus groups. We need support beams to build a construction for silk dance and other activities. It will also be used for yoga, martial arts ( self-defence, ninjutsu…) and other sport activities.
* Free classes – We want to host language, art and skills classes, all free of charge, as this space used to be a school. We strive to be a place where the anarchistic community can exchange ideas, knowledge and develop human values.

Solar system (for basics; lights, fridge, other devices – panels, batteries and inverters) – 1900€
Rocket stoves – 810€
Other heating infrastructure (small wood stoves, heaters etc.) – 740€
Repairs of damaged space inside the building – 410€
Roof isolation and repair – 750€
Sound system – 1100€
Projector – 300€
Materials for art studio and printing – 300€
LED lightning for the whole building, decorative and scene lightning – 400€
Materials for repairing and repainting the interior – 340€
Gym (Tatami, support beams, boxing bag etc.) ~620€
Glasshouse and garden– 800€
Workshop tools– 400€
Homeless shelter basic needs – 200€
Other equipment and materials- 200€
Unexpected expenses– 400€

Please support us if you see the potential and efforts of the collective – with a donation, materials or come to us and be a part of this project.

BEK kolektiv, 14 September 2018
https://coopfunding.net/en/campaigns/bek-autonomous-space-for-free-social-and-cultural-activities/

BEK kolektiv
Ulica Vladimira Nazora 53
10000 Zagreb, Croatia
bek_kolektiv [at] riseup [dot] net
https://squ.at/r/69vd
https://bekkolektiv.com/

Lecce: Eviction of Canaglia Occupata

On Monday 3rd September Canaglia Occupata in Lecce was evicted. Police stormed the place at 6am along with the fire brigade and ENEL and municipal waterworks technicians, who cut off all electricity and water supplies. Three male and four female comrades who were in the building at the time of the eviction were charged with occupation, defacement and damaging of others’ property, as well as theft of electricity and water supplies. Three were also reported for breach of expulsion orders from Lecce and a comrade who managed to stay on the roof for a while (Digos officers had to use a ladder to reach him) was charged with resistance. Three more expulsion orders from Lecce for another three years were issued. The building was declared sequestrated.

The occupation took place on 23rd July, about a month after the Villa Matta squat was evicted. On social media right-wing groups of Lecce (Northern League, Forza Italia, Sentire Civico, Movimento e Libertà) are rejoicing at the brilliant police operation that restored respect for ‘sacred property’ – be it private or public – followed by cheers from those who have no scruples about calling us ‘parasites to be eliminated’.

Unfortunately for them, it is certainly not a physical place that gives content to our life and struggle; unfortunately for them, we’ll continue to be present in the city.

Leaflet distributed in Lecce:

It can be done

A month ago we occupied an ex-municipal dog pound on Via San Nicola in Lecce, and transformed it into part living space and part a social place of struggle.

For a few days some comedians of local politics (Northern League, Forza Italia, Sentire Civico, Movimento in Libertà) have repeatedly been demanding its eviction. Some more willing to talk big have also threatened to do it personally if the institutions don’t act quickly. But for the moment these have been words to the wind – how frightening!!!

They have very few pretexts for demanding ‘restitution to the community’ of a building that had been abandoned for about a year, as it was considered unfit for the use it was destined to. In fact, in the attempt to put the ‘good citizens’ against us, they have no other excuse than denouncing ‘illegal’ use of the building and basic services, which are allegedly harming the citizens of Lecce. Not only do we believe that these buffoons don’t give a damn for those who live in Lecce, but they don’t even have any real interest in the Canaglia occupation. They are simply using this argument to ride the wave of hatred unleashed by their hero, the minister Salvini, and reuse it Lecce-style in the attempt to climb the ladder of local politics.

For our part, we don’t have many words to dedicate to the brave avenger demanding enlightenment on the legality of our presence. The word ‘occupation’ contains the answer quite simply: Canaglia is an open space inhabited without permission – happily it is not the first nor the only one in Lecce – which continues to affirm the freedom of its choices, its opposition to institutional compromise and to the racket of the market.

Instead we’d rather talk about a society where to have a comfortable roof over one’s head is considered a luxury to be satisfied only if one’s wallet is well filled. For the others, those who have no saint or powerful to bow down to, there’s no choice other than to be content with an increasingly miserable life.

We’d rather talk about the number of evictions and cuts of services being inflicted on the whole of the city of Lecce and about why this doesn’t cause the – right – reaction of anger and struggle in those who are kicked out of their homes.

We’d rather talk about the speculation of the property market whose logic prefers to have a huge numbers of houses that could satisfy the needs of many closed down and left to rot.

We’d rather talk about the speculation of the tourist and entertainment industry, which sees so many young people exploited for little money in entertainment venues and which always makes the usual rapacious ones rich.

We’d rather point out how these Lecce characters are the miserable provincial followers of those currently in national government with a programme of aggression against anyone on the lowest step of the social ladder, by having recourse to the creation of constant emergencies: immigration, security, degradation, legality…

But the places and possibilities for meeting are becoming fewer and fewer. That is why we prefer to go straight to our needs and – among other things – occupy an abandoned building and turn it into a place in which to discuss and to organize ourselves against the society of money that we refuse.

Canaglia Occupata


Canaglia Occupata
via San Nicola 1, Lecce
https://squ.at/r/66y5

Villa Matta Occupata
via San Nicola 1/C, Lecce
https://squ.at/r/16rr

Lecce
https://radar.squat.net/it/events/city/Lecce
https://radar.squat.net/it/groups/city/lecce

https://comunellafastidiosa.noblogs.org/post/2018/09/05/lecce-sgomberata-canaglia-occupata/
https://roundrobin.info/2018/09/lecce-sgomberata-la-canaglia-occupata/
https://actforfree.nostate.net/?p=31526

Berlin: Liebig34 must stay!

We are Liebig 34, a self-organised anarcha queer feminist house project in Berlin-Friedrichshain made of different collectives: the Infoladen Daneben, the-queer-feminist living-project Liebig34 and the queer feminist eventspace L34-Bar. 40 people from all over the world with different backgrounds and gender identities collectively live together whitout cis-men, trying to create a “safer political space“ without hierarchies, a space where we try to develop, extend and exert anti-patriarchal practices, where we reflect power structures, privileges and where we empower each other.
Liebig 34 was squatted in 1990 and later legalized like many other houses in east-Berlin. After the failed attempt to buy the house collectively, a contract was made for 10 years.

Now, december 2018, our contract is coming to an end.

Our house, like over 200 others around Friedrichshain, is owned by Gijora Padovicz and his company Siganadia Grundbesitz GmbH, famous for the systematic buying, eviction and destruction of houses and houseprojects for commercial profit in detriment of affordable housing spaces for all. L34 is one of the few political anarcha queer feminist house projects in the world without cis men, working actively against sexism, discrimination and systematic oppressions. Spaces like this are needed. The Dorfplatz, Infoladen and Bar are important meeting points for the coming together of different political fights against the repressive system. Particularly in the current political context where the right wing is moving forward towards a historically strong reactionary position against feminism, non traditional binary roles, abortion and immigration. Many projects have already been evicted. Many others are in the process of being so.

Don t let them take another house.

It is not only houses that disappear with evictions but forms of self organization, diversity and political resistance which also disappear with the houses. We are all affected by gentrification. We will fight to keep our house and we need your support to do it. Make a banner, write a support text, spread the information.Make a soli event, donate some money for lawyers and anti-repression expenses, make a massive action of sending letters to Padovicz offices.

Be creative.

Get organized against capitalism and patriarchy!

WE WILL FIGHT! L34 RESISTS!

Liebig34
Liebigstraße 34
10247 Berlin
liebig34 [at] riseup [dot] net
http://liebig34.blogsport.de/

Infoladen Daneben
daneben [at] nadir [dot] org
https://squ.at/r/iii
http://www.daneben.info

L34 bar
https://squ.at/r/4u9p
http://l34bar.blogsport.de/

https://actforfree.nostate.net/?p=31521

The Hague: Prosecutions for anti-repression demonstrators

We have been informed by our lawyers that the Public Prosecution will start summoning people to court who took part in the anti-repression demonstration in November 2016 in The Hague. Some people have already receive subpoenas to attend court (on November 14th).

For the upcoming court case the lawyers Ineke van den Brûle and Juanita van Lunen will be available for the defense. If you wish to be defended and represented by them you can contact us. Because the case consists of 166 arrests of which all will likely be prosecuted we need to be sure to give the most complete and accurate information to our lawyers. The required information is:

A scan or clear picture of the subpoena
Telephone number
E-mail address
Name
Address
Social Service Number

Send the information to: fightrepression(at)riseup.net

On the 19th of November 2016 around 250 people gathered on Kerkplein in The Hague to march against the repression that has been targeting anarchists and anti-fascists in The Hague. Repressive measures like constantly prohibiting demonstrations and mapping activities and identities of anarchists and anti-fascists so to further implement repressive measures like area-bans. The anti-repression demonstration was also banned on the spot by the then The Hague mayor van Aartsen and was crushed by repressive police violence.

The demonstration was immediately kettled by the riot police and was under constant CCTV and police surveillance. The police then preceded to order demonstrators to remove face-covering clothing with the excuse that “that was the agreement”. Let one thing be clear, there was no agreement about this.

It was obvious that the police was searching for an excuse to make a mass-arrest, and so it was. The police kettled the demonstration and attacked its participants. While the police beat up people on the square they called through megaphones that people should remain calm; a typical de-escalation tactic by the The Hague Police. People were punched in the face, an arm was dislocated and certain people left in need of medical attention. Headlocks were also used during the arrests and the few people who left the demonstration when the police ordered them also received some punches outside the kettle. In the end 166 people were arrested.

The demonstration was faced with the exact situation it condemned: systematically banning and limiting demonstrations, criminalising, attacking and arresting of anarchists and antifascists.

Fight Repression Demo: https://fightrepressiondemo.noblogs.org/

https://fightrepressiondemo.noblogs.org/post/2018/09/23/prosecutions-for-anti-repression-demonstrators/

London: The Battle for Deptford and Beyond

In Deptford in south east London, local campaigners have occupied a 20-year old community garden to prevent it from being boarded up and razed to the ground by Lewisham Council and the housing association, Peabody. They are also highlighting the absurdity of proposals to demolish 16 structurally sound council flats next door to build new social housing.

What’s happening in Deptford reflects two pressing concerns in the capital today. The first is the prioritising of house-building projects over pressing environmental concerns. The second is the destruction of social housing to create new developments that consist of three elements: housing for private sale, shared ownership deals that are fraught with problems, and new social housing that’s smaller, more expensive and offering tenants less security than what is being destroyed.

The proposed destruction is part of a plan to build new housing not only on the site of the Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden and Reginald House flats, but also on the site of the old Tidemill Primary School, which closed in 2012. Peabody intends to build 209 units of new housing on the site, of which 51 will be for private sale, with 41 for shared ownership, and 117 at what is described as “equivalent to social rent”, although that is untrue. The rents on the latter will fall under London Mayor Sadiq Khan’s London Affordable Rent, which is around 63% higher than existing council rents in Lewisham.

When the council and Peabody put out these figures, they conveniently neglected to mention that 13 of these homes are replacements for those being destroyed in Reginald House, where tenants currently pay real social rents, and have tenancies that offer them far greater protections than their replacements. Three more residents of Reginald House are leaseholders, and, as is typical for redevelopment plans involving social housing, they will have to fight hard to try to get the developers to pay them market value for their homes.

In addition, the council has no interest in balloting residents, even though 80% of the residents of Reginald House recently informed the council and the GLA that they don’t want their homes destroyed. Although Jeremy Corbyn promised ballots to all tenants on estates facing demolition at the Labour Party Conference last year, and Sadiq Khan has endorsed this policy for estates whose regeneration involves GLA funding (as Tidemill does), Green Party GLA member Sian Berry revealed in March this year that Khan had stealthily approved the destruction of 34 estates — including Reginald House — before his new policy took effect.

Since 2015, shortly after the community was given a lease on the garden for “meanwhile use”, campaigners have been calling on the council to consult with the local community and to go back to the drawing board, increasing the density of housing on the old school site, and sparing the garden and Reginald House. The council, however, has refused to engage.

Instead, Lewisham Council’s cabinet approved the current plans last September, and terminated the community’s lease on the garden on August 29 this year. Instead of handing the keys back, however, members of the local community occupied the garden, and almost immediately secured a PR advantage when the BBC filmed a balanced feature about the occupation for the evening news.

The creation of the garden — designed with the involvement of parents, pupils and teachers at the school — began in 1997 and was funded by Groundwork, the London Development Agency, the Foundation for Sport & Arts, Mowlem plc, Lewisham College — and Lewisham Council, which invested £100 000 in it in 2000.

The investment paid off. In the years since, the garden has matured, and now contains 74 well-established trees. In August 2017, it was cited as a case study for the importance of “Children at Play” in the GLA Greener City Fund prospectus, and it also has the support of organisations including the CPRE and the London Wildlife Trust, and GLA members Len Duvall (Lab.), Caroline Pidgeon (Lib Dem), and Caroline Russell (Green).

In addition, in 2016, before any planning application had gone before Lewisham Council’s Strategic Planning Committee, campaigners made an application for the garden to be made into an Asset of Community Value. Officers agreed that the garden was indeed an asset and said “the evidence provided demonstrates that the Old Tidemill Wildlife Garden furthers social well-being or social interests of the local community currently.” However, the application was declined on the basis that the land was part of a key site for delivering new housing.

Nevertheless, by refusing to engage with the community on a new plan that spares the garden, the council, in its determination to proceed with its existing plans, is actively engaged in environmental destruction.

In 2016-17, data compiled by Citizen Sense, a science research project at Goldsmith’s, showed that the garden’s large canopy of trees had significantly reduced the levels of carbon emissions that are prevalent in nearby Deptford Church Street, where, on multiple occasions, the levels of carbon emissions have been up to six times higher than World Health Organisation guidelines.

The Tidemill campaigners hope to hold out in the garden until Lewisham Council and Peabody change their minds and go back to the drawing board. They have legally squatted the garden, and are also engaged in a judicial review of the redevelopment plans, for which they crowdfunded support.

There is something of David v. Goliath in this struggle — not just because plucky local campaigners are up against a council and a large housing association, but also because the struggle reflects what is happening across London and elsewhere in the country.

Housing struggles are being fought across the capital — most noticeably in Southwark, where the immense Aylesbury Estate is currently being destroyed by the Council and Notting Hill Homes, and in Lambeth, where tenants and leaseholders are fighting to save two architecturally-acclaimed estates, at Cressingham Gardens and Central Hill, as well as a handful of other estates.

However, few boroughs are free of the blight of regeneration. From West Hendon to Westminster, Hackney to Newham, estates are being destroyed and tenants displaced, by both Labour and Tory councils, to make way for new developments.

Campaigners across the capital recognise that what is happening is social cleansing and realise that tens of thousands of tenants and leaseholders (usually those on low incomes) will be priced out of the new developments unless the current crisis caused by regeneration can be stopped.

Earlier this year, campaigners in north London scored a victory in Haringey. The council’s proposal to enter into a £2bn deal with international property developers Lendlease was defeated when, under pressure from a well-organised grass-roots campaign, councillors in favour of the deal were deselected prior to May’s council elections, and replaced by new candidates opposed to the plans. However, even in Haringey, the new councillors are already under pressure to proceed with plans involving the destruction of estates.

Could a small corner of Deptford, where environmental concerns and social cleansing are both under the spotlight, be the next location for a significant victory?

The campaign’s Crowd Justice fundraising page is here: https://www.crowdjustice.com/case/save-reginald-save-tidemill/.

Andy Worthington is an independent journalist and activist, a member of the Save Reginald, Save Tidemill campaign, and the founder of No Social Cleansing in Lewisham. His website is: http://www.andyworthington.co.uk.

Source

London: Homeless Festival Was a Stark Reminder of How Bad Things Have Got

Immersed in the fun of Streets Fest, you could have been excused for forgetting, just for a day, how vast a crisis homelessness in Britain has become.

Unless, of course, your first sight after walking out of Finsbury Park tube station – towards the health and wellbeing festival for homeless and vulnerably housed people – was a rough sleeper, apparently lifeless and surrounded by paramedics, as mine was this Monday morning.

It was a brutal sign of the times and a stark reminder of why charities are tasked with picking up where those with the power to change the fate of thousands have fallen down. And it is happening in a country where more than 8,000 people are forced to sleep rough on any one night, and at least 300,000 face homelessness. This is an era in which grassroots organisations, such as Streets Kitchen, find themselves having to host a special event – by some cruel irony, in one of the nation’s homelessness hotspots – to offer basic services to vulnerable people. It seems we have reached peak austerity Britain.

Streets Fest, a one-day carnival in London’s Finsbury Park, staged to provide a “one-stop shop” for vital services for those most in need, is a radical move. It is believed to be the first event of its kind, but it is clearly needed. The turnout and engagement with support agencies is revealing of the colossal gulf between the provisions available in the mainstream and the true degree of demand at street level.

Organisations with clothing and blankets, as well as others offering advice on physical and mental health, substance use, housing, wellbeing, education and employment help hundreds of people throughout the day. Yet it is the stalls fulfilling the most basic of human necessities that are overwhelmed by the scale of the need. Two groups give out free meals to at least 300 people.

Rapid Relief Team, a volunteer-run not-for-profit specialising in providing catering in the wake of crises such as those following the Grenfell Tower fire and London Bridge terror attack last year, runs out of food less than three hours after the festival starts, despite bringing more than double the number of meals it expected to hand out. “We don’t know when these people last had a square meal,” says Ben Napthine, the organisation’s London and southeast team leader.

For others, it is the hope of a proper wash that draws them to Streets Fest. Friends Dan, 48, and Andrew, 41, sit on a bench with a cup of tea, waiting for their first hot shower in a week. They have travelled from Walthamstow. “We had a local homelessness centre where you could get a shower daily, but it closed,” says Dan. “Then we could go to London Bridge, but that has since closed too. Now we have a big problem with showers.”

More than 50 haircuts, 22 X-rays and 18 dental referrals are also given. StreetVet, meanwhile, sees a dozen dogs in its tent, with this service proving critical for people who say their pets are all the family they have. Stephen’s beloved staffy, who’s been his “best friend” for 14 years, receives a thorough check-up. “He got everything he needed,” the 50-year-old says. “Worming, flea treatment, checked his tag, gave us food, water bowl, toys, a new harness.”

The day, for some, is an opportunity to look to a positive future too. Lisa, 18, and her girlfriend are sofa surfing and have three months left in their current place. Stonewall Housing and the Outside Project gives them guidance on what to do when they find themselves on the streets again. “I can’t rent somewhere,” says Lisa, “I can’t even afford lunch at my college […] but [the organisations] gave us some good advice. They have a housing scheme, so we’d need to get assessed and it could help us into a tenancy.”

Also supporting Streets Fest is the local Haringey and Islington councils. They say they understand the disastrous situation and believe they know how to fix it. “We recognise the madness of Tory austerity continues, and looks like it’s going to continue for quite a while,” Diarmaid Ward, Islington Council’s executive member for housing and development, says after a walk around the stalls. “We’ve got 14,000 people on our housing register looking for a home, rough sleeping has gone through the roof and it’s our job as councillors to be at the heart of resolving this. Anybody can find themselves homeless in this day and age; the safety nets are rapidly disappearing. Four words: build more council houses. That’s it [the solution] in a nutshell.”

Emina Ibrahim, deputy leader of Haringey Council, says it’s important to raise awareness of the growing problem of homelessness. “More and more people are dying on the streets in London,” she adds. “The reality is that central government needs to build more housing and recognise that there are multiple vulnerabilities that lead people to be sleeping on the street. What we’d ultimately want to get to in Haringey is no second night on the street.”

The art, jamming and dancing going on around us provides a little light relief, a welcome break from the melancholy backdrop to this event. A moment of solemn reflection ensues in the poetry corner as a mother delivers a profound spoken word performance recalling the moving story of how her son was stabbed eight years ago – an all too topical theme in 2018.

As the sun sets on Streets Fest, while people squeeze in the final dance of the day, it’s impossible to overlook that this moment of escapism – and the warm embrace of an abundance of support and community solidarity concentrated in a small section of a north London park – is coming to an abrupt end for most of those here. Many are going back to tents and sleeping bags.

Only, they aren’t sleeping in fields, but atop cold, hard concrete under bridges, along roads and in bushes. And those inside won’t be staying there for a weekend with the promise of a hot bath and cosy bed after a few days of revelry. These are “homes” for the long haul. As another winter approaches, England’s homeless population once again prepares to brace itself for the cruel months ahead, mustering the fight to survive against the harsh elements and a system that promises little hope for permanent refuge anytime soon.

Jon Glackin of Streets Kitchen promises, however, that this Streets Fest is not going to be a one-off. “Hundreds of homeless people came,” he says. “Events like this are important. People are dying on the streets, I’m sick of going to funerals. We can do it [put this on again]. I’ve seen a lot of shiny, happy people with new haircuts, new clothes on and a spring in their step. People are asking, ‘When’s the next one?'”

Source

Dublin: Masked thugs evict Frederick Street

Masked Garda threatening people with batons in the aftermath of the violent eviction carried out by thugs in Dublin last night. Pepper spray, dogs and batons were deployed, there were 5 or 6 arrests and four housing campaigners required hosptial visits from injuries received in the course of the eviction of the Frederick St occupation [which is the second recent occupation].

The occupation was suddenly attacked by a gang of masked men who arrived in a van with no front registration plates, insurance or any other identifying details apart from a back plate which showed a UK registration plate. They smashed their way into the house using sledgehammers and industrial cutters. One housing activist who was outside and attempted to question them was thrown down the stairs and then arrested by the Garda.

Take Back The City – Dublin say “Gardai subsequently used force and pepper spray against peaceful protesters across the road” – our footage from about 20 minutes after the eviction shows masked Garda threatening people protesting the eviction.

The house that was occupied has been left empty for between 3 and 5 years and often had homeless people sleeping on the doorstep. Despite this, an injunction was rapidly granted against the occupation and when the occupiers resolved to stay in place we saw the violence of last night’s eviction.

It’s less that 1km from The Bolt which was evicted in 2015 and remains boarded up to this day. It’s 200m from The Barricade Inn which was also evicted in 2015 and also remains empty to this day. It’s less that 1km from the Debtors’ Prison which was evicted in 2015 and remains empty to this day.

Tens of thousands of buildings are left empty around Dublin, many of which could quickly be turned into accommodation for people. In other cities in Europe buildings being left abandoned was countered by the introduction of protection for squatters, allowing tens of thousands to house themselves. In Ireland they violently evict people who occupy buildings that have been left vacant for years, sometimes for decades.

Read this local residents account of the way she was treated by the Garda “When I asked him why he was wearing a balaclava he told me I had no right to ask that and to, I quote “fuck off ye stupid bitch”. He then grabbed my phone and put his hands on me. After I said he had absolutely no right to do so and he said he did. He then said “Ok, you are going to get arrested.” To be clear, this is on my lane way, where I live and I was asking a question.”

WSM

Dublin: Third building occupied by Take Back the City

Saturday 8th of September saw another building occupied in Dublin as part of the Take Back the City campaign, this is the 3rd occupation in a little over a month. The new occupied building is on 41 Belvedere Place as the video shows over 100 people gathered outside in support of the occupation.


The Take Back the city campaign activists had gathered at the GPO earlier that evening and then marched as a block up O’Connell Street to the site of the current occupation. At one point the chants on the march named the three largest political parties who have been in government this decade “Fine Gael, Labour, Fianna Fail’ with the response “Jail, jail, jail them all.” The Labour Party is now in opposition and doing its usual about turn to insert itself into struggles as if it was somehow not responsible for the policies being fought against.

Our footage moves on to some taken early in the week which shows the second building occupied on Frederick Street not far from the current occupation. The first building occupied on Summerhill Place was abandoned after an injunction was granted, power the decision was taken to hang onto Frederic street when that was injuncted a couple of weeks ago. So far the Garda have not dared move to enforce that injunction.

We then show a boarded up building, there was a previous round of occupation’s around 2015 all of which were evicted. Unlike the current phase they aimed to provide accommodation for people through the direct action of occupying and moving people in. In contrast so far the current campaign has activists taking buildings to highlight the number of vacant homes that have been left empty, with over 100 people volunteering to do shifts to keep them occupied.

This aspect is controversial as there is still much lower key squatting going on but it would be logical, as the current campaign builds, to turn the occupied buildings in to homes if and when the intimidatory effect of injunctions is removed. There are no meaningful ’squatters rights’ in Ireland which is why speculators feel safe leaving so many usable homes lying empty while huge numbers of people are caught up in the housing crisis. In other European cities as other times the presence of strong ’squatters right’ meant not only directly housing thousands of people but also meant speculators were far more inclined to rent out buildings rather than leaving them empty.

Our footage shows the Bolt hostel but this isn’t footage from 2015 this was taken last week, three years after the court ordered eviction when it still lies empty. The Bolt is a particularly strong example as the building was in a relatively good state and a team of volunteers were using it to provide emergency accommodation.

These occupations are taking place in the context of a terrible housing crisis that exists in Dublin and other Irish cities. In Dublin it’s probably the case that almost every worker is now affected by the crisis. Rents are skyhigh, so to are property prices but wages for most workers remain very low. A huge amount of workers are probably spending up to 50% of their income on either rent or mortgage repayments.

Ina addition the rental sector has no security attached to it at all. It’s easy to evict tenants, the legal protections are mostly a joke. All this needs needs to change

WSM

London: Queens in Furs guided tour of Brixton

In the 1970s Britain was saturated in political activity right across the board. Not just in the Labour movement, trade unions and the Left but also the new social movements were particularly active in challenging the oppressive established order especially the black, women’s and gay liberation movements. The environmental, countercultural, squatters’ and claimants’ organisations were also fully engaged in defending people against poverty, homelessness, the destruction of the environment and experimenting with ‘alternative’ lifestyles. Throughout this period the anti-apartheid movement, the Anti-Nazi League and Troops out of Ireland challenged the racist regime in South Africa, the growing menace of racism and fascism and the continuing military occupation of Northern Ireland. In the early 70s there were still lively anti-Vietnam war demonstrations. Much of this ‘crucible’ of radical activity provided the ingredients for how politics were practised locally in Brixton.

This guided tour, conducted by Ian Townson, will concentrate on the radical gay community and gay squats in and around Railton Road from the mid 1970s to 1981, the year of the Brixton riots, but will also include many other groups active in the area. Also there will be an account of more up-to-date contemporary events.

Join us for an exciting and illuminating voyage of discovery to uncover the lost aspects of the past that have become ‘hidden from history’. Will there be political lessons to be learned from the past of benefit to us now or will this just be an exercise in nostalgia and fond memories? Come along and judge for yourselves.

Start point: Herne Hill train station at 1pm
Date: Sunday 16th September
Duration: Approximately 2 hours.

London: Streets Fest on Monday!

CALL OUT TO ALL SQUATTERS / HOMELESS / TRAVELLERS
All Day Free BBQ / Hairdressers / Doctors / Vets / Showers / Opticians / Housing, Squatting, Boat Advice / Free Clothes /

#STREETSFEST #STREETSKITCHEN #FINSBURYPARK #NFAAF

Bringing together 50+ groups and services
Monday 10th September – Finsbury Park (2pm – 8pm)

Streets Kitchen
Haringey Anti-Raids
Showers
Opticians
Advisory Service for Squatters (ASS)
Museum of Homelessness
Outside Project
CBD Brothers
Refugee Community Kitchen
Action 4 Trans Health
Lesbians & Gays Support the Migrants
Street Vet
Finsbury Park Mosque
Guerilla Paramedics
Solidarity London
Mobile Library
Clothes For Causes
Women of the Well
London Fire Brigade
The People’s Film Club
Rapid Relief Team
Human Appeal
Simon Community
Gunners Pub
Islington Food Bank
Haringey Council housing workers
Islington housing workers
Find ‘n’ Treat Van
Stonewall Housing
Shelter
Shelter from the Storm
Pillion Trust
Caris Winter Shelters
Pathways
ISIS Drug Services

In addition, there will be several stages of live music, poetry and workshops, including special guests.
Best of all: IT’S ALL FREE!

There will be women’s spaces, beanbags and tents for chilling-out and CBD Brothers samples–so expect a surprise!

If you would like to volunteer or to appear as a performer or DJ, email:
getinvolved [at] streetskitchen [dot] org
or
psydchainmusic [at] outlook [dot] com

Twitter : @StreetsKitchen

Twitter : @NFA_AntiFascist

NFAAF

Amsterdam: ADM, an update on the actual situation

Upcoming fall, the largest cultural free-haven in The Netherlands, ADM, will be 21 years old. Since its beginning in 1997 ADM has been under constant pressure to a greater or lesser extent.

Especially in recent years we are involved in multiple legal procedures and we’ve put constant strain on the municipality of Amsterdam to purchase the site to prevent a financial loss of hundreds of millions euros. Unfortunately the fate of ADM depends primarily on the outcome of these legal- and political processes and not on the grand cultural heritage which ADM is giving to the city and the world.

After vigorous appeal three major legal cases have been lost by ADM in the last weeks. Mainly because in these lawsuits only a limited part of the entire case is dealt with, without giving proper attention to the overall perspective. This means that on legal grounds ADM can be evicted straight after the December 24th.

The ADM residents consider to start a new appeal in a case against Amsterdam, where ADM claims that Amsterdam must enforce the perpetual clause in the original purchase contract and thus prevents the public- and social interests of Amsterdam from being seriously damaged.

The ADM was bought by Chidda in 1997 with the proviso that Amsterdam always has the first right of repurchase and that only an authentic shipyard can be established on the 42-hectare terrain.

Chidda intends to give way to Koole Maritiem LLC, an asbestos contractor and demolisher, which has nothing to do with a shipyard !

If the municipality of Amsterdam approves Chidda’s plans, the destination restriction will effectively be removed and the ADM will increase more than 5 times in value.

Chidda is only interested in this profit and wants to cash, which means that around €100 million in community capital belonging to the municipality will go to this real estate entrepreneur.

The current attitude of the Council of Amsterdam is more in favor of the financial interests of a private party than for the public interest !

The consequences, both for the ADM and for the city of Amsterdam, are dire.

All this won’t stop the ADM residents from incessantly initiating actions and having talks with the council in order to change this unweighted current political track.

Why not press the pause button and investigate what Amsterdam loses when it turns its back on ADM and, until then, cherishes our cultural free haven?

We need your support to prove that cultural free spaces are vital for a diverse and open city.

We do not want to be chased, we want to be appreciated for our culture!

Contact us if you have good ideas or if you want to give a hand.

Beware: Holland’s most innovative- and experimental cultural festival is coming up in the 4th weekend of september !

ADM becomes 21 and changes into a mature and powerful adult !

ADM
Hornweg 6, 1045AR, Amsterdam, The Netherlands
https://adm.amsterdam/
https://squ.at/r/5g4

https://adm.amsterdam/article/adm-update-actual-situation

Pages