Maastricht: Information about the eviction of the Mandril Cultural and Political Centre (MCPC) and its future

As some of you might know, the Mandril will soon get evicted – on the 1st of April we (the MCPC and the people who live here) must have left the building.

This is because the area will be renovated and new projects will inhabit these buildings. Our cultural freezone siblings the Hotel the Ossekop needed to be demolished for this, a big part of the Cultuurfront (also a cultural freezone) was also eaten by the bulldozer in a surprising turn of events and so the Mandril too must make space. Our own building will be filled up by the Toneelgroep Maastricht (theatre group), and soon the indie film house Lumiere will be relocated to another empty building on the terrain, next to the Muziekgieterij. [Read More]

Utrecht: new squat in the city center

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This morning a house on the Van Sijpesteijnkade 25 has been squatted. The police has passed by and is deciding if they are going to do something. The building is property of NS, who is buying a lot of buildings around the station for huge development plans. The whole street will be demolished on short terms, but because this building is a monument they integrated it into the new building plans and it wont be demolished. When these plans will take place is still unclear.
The neighborhood has protested the plans to demolish the street. The buildings are beautiful, there is a lot of history in these buildings and they are in good conditions to live in. The plans for the new buildings are dull, grey and not inspiring. The demolition of this street is a shame, but is made possible because the old residents have been replaced years ago for anti-squat. Anti-squatters can be kicked out on short notice. [Read More]

Amsterdam: Joe’s Garage, Newsletter February 2014

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During the last months various squats were opened and closed in Amsterdam and surroundings. Yet, the eviction procedure is becoming easier for the cops. Recently, the police came out with an old trick, the speed- eviction: despite squatting being illegal, squatters still have the right to domestic peace, to get notified 8 weeks in advance, and to be able to start a court case to defend themselves. However, in the last weeks two office buildings in the Amsterdam’s surroundings were evicted by regular cops without any notice, just a few days after the occupation. The squatters were arrested and quickly released without charges.
Evictions without notice and without a court ruling are illegal, as they violate the right to domestic privacy of the inhabitants. The cops know this well, but too often they put themselves ‘above the law’ to serve the interests of private property owners.
To stop the trend of illegal speed-evictions, the Amsterdam squatting groups are about to sue the state, and made a call out to other groups of squatters for collecting cases of speed-eviction. [Read More]

Netherlands: Court case against speed eviction

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The police is threatening squatted buildings in Amsterdam and surroundings with speed-evictions, which means eviction without previous notice nor decision by a judge. One of the tools to reverse this trend is to start a court-case against speed eviction.

On October 1st, 2010 , the new law 138A on ” Squatting and Vacancy ‘ was included in the Penal Code. Although this law defines squatting as a crime, squatters still have the right to domestic peace. This means that the police is not allowed to evict squatted buildings without notice and without a court sentence. Thus speed eviction constitute a violation to this right, violation that is allowed only in situations of emergency. This state of ”emergency” could be applied when the property was still in use at the time it was squatted, in case of dangerous situation or when there is disturbance of public order. Only in these cases the police can decide to evict the squat immediately. [Read More]

Bloomsbury, London: New squatted social centre opening tomorrow from Bank of Ideas

Free education movement: Free critical thought

The current system is in crisis, economically, ecologically, morally and in numerous humanitarian crises. This affects all of us.

Collectively we think that working in precarious conditions and being exploited for other’s profit is unacceptable. We want education accessible for everyone, independent from their social background and bank account. Tuition fees, often resulting in life long debt, and the privatisation of all public services can and should be fought. [Read More]

Barcelona: Let’s combat Police State with local Self-defence

CanVies is an Occupied assembly run Social center, set in what was once a CNT Union Center 80 years ago, The occupation has lasted 17 years and has local support. In calling for ‘local defense’ against eviction the occupiers refer to the successful Gamonal community uprising in Burgos just 2 weeks ago. The evictions of 4 other Catalan social centers are coinciding in the next weeks… [Read More]

Camden, London: Leisure Centre soon to be community space from Bohemia squatters

A group of squatters have moved into a leisure centre left empty for two years after Camden Council sold it off. The Mornington Sports Centre in Arlington Road, Camden Town, is set to be turned into new private homes, but developers have been slowed down by wrangling over planning permission.

Squatters who call themselves the North London Squatting Collective say they will turn it into a place for plays and workshops until the new owners are ready to start building work. Members of the same group were recently involved in the occupation of the Friern Barnet Library and The Bohemia Community Centre in Barnet. [Read More]

Calais: Police evicts a Syrian squat. Another migrant killed, protests at the port

Police close and destroy Syrian squat – Since the big eviction wave in autumn 2013, most migrants in Calais are forced to sleep outside in tents. But weather and temperature are horrible at the moment. Wind and rain makes it very difficult or impossible to live like this.

On Sunday the police closed and destroyed one of last squats in Calais. Just five persons have found shelter in this house, which had been empty since months.
The Cops arrived in the afternoon, when some of the inhabitants were at home. Without any warning the Cops broke their door and entered the building. The persons living there explained to the police that they are sick and can not live outside. But they did not care about that fact. They forced the people to leave their home. The were not able to take all their personal belongings with them. [Read More]

Hackney, London: 52B Well Street evicted

A delayed update!

Last week we were evicted by High Court bailiffs after loosing court on the 30th January 2014. We made various attempts to contact the owners and negotiate an appropriate leaving date, to coincide with work commencing on the building, but the developers had no interest in speaking with us. The papers for court which inevitably led to our eviction was the only sign the owners gave us that they wanted us to leave. All too typical for squatting.

Additionally to the eviction of 52B (including 1 Shore Place, the living space for part of the crew, which included the popular anarcha-corridoor), an elderly lady who had been asked to leave by March 2014 was prematurely evicted, while the final pair of tenants in 52D narrowly avoided eviction, but are still due to leave on 15th February 2014. [Read More]

Calais: Report on the illegal expulsion of the squat in rue Saint-Omer, the petty maneouvres of the State

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Today February 5, 2014 there was scheduled for trial an injunction against the French State and the OPH due to the illegal eviction of the squat at 221 Rue de Saint-Omer. Originally scheduled on January 22nd, the trial was postponed until February 5th. ‘Coincidentally’, the prefect waited until the day before to instruct the trial lawyers to represent him, these latter requested an adjournment, granted despite the precarious situation of those evicted from Rue de Saint-Omer .

In contrast to the OPH, the representative of the State, the prefect in this case , had not sent any documents to the other party, the evicted, until the date of trial. It is therefore only today that the court of Boulogne-sur-Mer informed the applicants and their lawyer of the conclusions presented by counsel for the State. [Read More]

Vienna: Eviction Resistance – Urgent Call To Action

Solidarity Call – please spread!

( english / deutsch / francais / italiano / espanol / all translations at: http://pizza.noblogs.org/solidarity-call/ )

Pizzeria Anarchia Urgent Call for Support and Solidarity

Pizzeria Anarchia is a squat in Vienna that exists since a bit more than two years. Now, it is in danger of being evicted pretty soon. The date given by the court for us to leave is February 5th 2014. But we will not go out. Instead, we call for a demonstration in Vienna that day and solidarity actions everywhere.
[Read More]

Amsterdam: Illegal eviction tomorrow February 4th, Ellermanstraat 31, Duivendrecht

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This morning police came by to announce that the recently squatted building at Ellermanstraat 31 in Duivendrecht will be (speed)evicted tomorrow February 4th, 2 o’clock. Since there’s no reason for a speed eviction and eviction for squatting is only allowed after verdict by a judge, this eviction will be illegal. This will be the 2nd illegal eviction in two weeks.
The neighbours at Ellermanstraat 33 can also use help, even though not officially under threat. Both buildings are heavily barricaded and occupied.
So come and join us tomorrow morning at Ellermanstraat 31 from ten on for breakfast, to show we don’t accept this police-state behaviour. AT5 will be there with a camera crew to film everything, bring your own camera too! [Read More]