Greece: The hunt for anarchists is on!

The new government is setting up an unprecedented offensive against the libertarian and self-managing movement, which has become embarrassing and reputed over the years.
The newly elected Prime Minister and leader of the right, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, promised to “clean up Exarchia” during the summer and “get rid of Rouvikonas”. Beyond the famous libertarian neighborhood and the elusive anarchist group, the entire revolutionary nebula and the squat network are targeted, using various repressive tools and processes.
Once again, what is happening in Greece gives food for thought to what is also being prepared elsewhere in Europe, as the Greek example has clearly shown the way, in the past, for the new hardening of capitalism on the continent and for an increasingly authoritarian society.
The government will start by reactivating the rogue laws already in place in the 1920s, which were then aimed at both the Greek Communist Party and the anti-authoritarians.
This time, the aim is, first of all, to hinder anarchist propaganda by literally considering its revolutionary political project as an immediate threat, and therefore liable in these terms to prosecution. In short, censorship, not anarchist propaganda as such, but as “threatening speech” whenever it represents a “danger to social order and civil peace”. [Read More]

Cologne: Elster230 evicted

– Police evicts Elster230 with large contingent
– Brutal police action
– Simultaneous eviction of squatted house ZentraleM in Münster
– Occupants announce demonstrations today in Cologne and Münster

This morning around 9am, a large police contingent forcibly invaded the Elster at Vogelsanger Str. 230 and evicted the self-governing queer feminist center.
The police’s actions were extremely brutal. In a different way, we observed, in addition to the measures of fixation mentioned above, that a person was tied up with cable ties and brutally dragged across the Lidl parking lot to a police car. There are several people with injuries and we saw that civil servants kneeled on the activists backs for a very long time, while the activists were already lying on the floor with their faces fixed.
In the middle of this scenario, Mrs. Windischmann (Head of Region West DB Real Estate) did not let herself miss the opportunity to enter the house and thus demonstrate her power. With this relentless eviction, the 1,5 week revitalization of the previously vacant property is abruptly ended. [Read More]

Mexico: Occupied social center Casa Naranja closes its doors

The anarchist squat in Mexico state, Casa Naranja, has been forced to close its doors and abandon its space. This communique comes from the compas of Casa Naranja as they reflect on the history and future of the space, and the more general absurdity of private property.

In capitalism, property is one of the principal pillars that sustains the ruling class. Historically it has executed the greatest injustices, like the massive dispossession of people, genocide, the annihilation of wildlife, the assassination and incarceration of militants. However, what we consider to be the most dangerous, is that property has been fixed into our minds, making us believe that we can own the land as property, and that obtaining a physical space for the development of life will depend on the monetary capacity of each individual. It is here where the irony becomes absurd, paying for what was originally taken from us. Accepting and naturalizing this concept of property, we have been converted into agents that reproduce the same vileness on a smaller scale. We believe that we are free to possess everything that has a price and also everything that doesn’t, running through everything to fulfill our desire for possession. Thus, we see the need for sabotage and expropriation, the defense of natural resources, the recuperation of property for recreation and collective development. [Read More]

London: Squatter’s Digest, Greece

Greece, the home of democracy. And molotov cocktails. They also enjoy regular cocktail nights to raise money for the squats and imprisoned anarchists. It’s one thing to know what is going on inside the UK with regards to squats, but I feel we are severely lacking in communication with squats across Europe, or indeed the world. Hopefully I can bring to you some of the news from some of the squats in Greece along with the usual round-up of news from London and beyond.

Setting The Scene

A quick explanation of how the law works in Greece, from a meeting I had with a lawyer personally involved in one of the local neighbourhood squats. Unlike in the UK, squatting is a criminal rather than civil matter. It is based around a few points in the penal code, such as breaching someone’s right to asylum in their own house, or disturbing the community. However the police cannot act unless a complaint is made by the owner to the state prosecutor, who then instructs the police to enforce it. For public buildings there is a bit of a loophole in the penal code dating back to 1938, and a lot of squats in Greece fall into a kind of “hybrid” category, meaning the prosecutor is less likely to take action unless pushed by the local government. However as of the 1st of July this year, the penalties have gone up in accordance with the introduction of a new penal code. What were simple misdemeanours for resisting can now be classified as heavier breaches of law, and can see a jail-term of 3 years, up from the previous maximum of 1 year. Interestingly this was introduced at the same time as the reduction of a lot of other penalties, prompting outrage from other parties. In any case this was the doing of Syriza, and with the election on July 7th, the conservative New Democracy is back in power, so things can be expected to only get worse (more on this later). [Read More]

Cologne: Police invades the Elster

Police invades Elster 230 and provokes escalation

After Deutsche Bahn yesterday filed a complaint against the occupation of Vogelsanger Str. 230 according to its own statement, the police today gained access to the Elster 230 and recorded personal details of individuals. All this happens against the background that next Monday talks are to take place between the city and DB, as we learned today.
As a result of unconfirmed sources from the mayor’s office, we also learned that the mayor is now also trying to persuade DB to negotiate with us. There the opinion is represented that the DB should hear at least our offers, before other steps would be introduced.
In this context, DB’s approach is becoming increasingly incomprehensible to us: “There is contact with a mediator – the city – who has to be taken seriously, also by DB. DB announces that it basically approves of our idea of use and at the same time it creates the ground for individual activists who work directly for it to be prosecuted. We ask ourselves what DB expects of itself from the criminalisation of individuals, at a time when X people happen to be in the house,” says Anna Meise. [Read More]

Barcelona: We reoccupied Ca La Trava

We have returned to Ca La Trava, now an empty plot, and we are not planning to leave. This space, until now closed, will again be open to the neighborhood, and we will defend it as we have defended our houses. We want it to be again a trench from which to resist the onslaught of the speculators and give war to all those who are destroying our neighborhood. If in Ca La Trava they make luxury flats we all lose, and we can’t allow that.

These are times of empty phrases, of euphemisms, of symbolisms without content and of politicians contradicting each new declaration. For this reason, we want to make it clear that when we say “Ca La Trava will never be luxury flats” we say it as seriously as possible. The struggle of Ca La Trava is not a lost struggle, and resquatting is not an improvised decision or the fruit of sentimentalism. Our goal is to win and we are convinced that we will. [Read More]

Prague: Latest updates about fines, Klinika building and how we can all fight for the city

Fines and expenses
You may have already heard that a judge decreased the executor’s fee to “mere” 900 000 CZK (yes, nine hundred thousand, approx 36 000 EUR), which, thanks to your overwhelming solidarity, appears to have been mostly collected. However, this unfortunately is not the end to the repression and related expenses. We still need money to pay our lawyers because we are appealing the “executor’s fee” to the Constitutional Court.
At the same time we are being sued by the state and the State Railway Administration Company for allegedly using the squatted derelict building for profit and for denying the owners its profitable use. They are currently suing us in total for 938 000 CZK but the amount could in the end rise to 3 500 000 CZK. These lawsuits are, of course, absurd and we have already won at a lower court but we cannot be sure of the final result. We are also sorting out fines and legal expenses for people who defended Klinika on the roof. In short, money is still needed. If any money is left at the end of all these proceedings or if some of the already payed sums are returned we will put them back into future autonomous spaces. We are humbled by your incredible solidarity and see it as a signal that your are in it with us. [Read More]

Athens (Greece): Staki of self-organized collectives of anarchist immigrants

Today 17 July 19, we, the self-organized collective of anarchist immigrants together with others self-organized collectives and individuals solidaritian occupied a abandoned shop in the corner of Tsamadou/Tositsa streets, Exarchia. [Read More]

Berlin: Police raid on Liebig34

This morning 6:30, the police broke into Liebig34 to search evidence and DNA in one room. The reason is an attack with stones against repression forces on Friday night. Soon after many riot police vans and a helicopter arrived, a barricade was burning in Rigaer Street. After some hours police left, no one was arrested. There is a call for resistance tonight and solidarity actions.
Cops destroyed doors and took some stuff. You are welcome to pass by but cops are still around in the area.


Statement from Liebig34:

Raided. Radical. Motivated
Saturday 20.07.2019 Friedrichshainer Nordkiez:

This morning, the cops of the LKA 5.21 unit under the command of Kranich raided Liebig34. Unusual was the saturday, unusual the mix of units from different departments. New were a few civil cop faces, not new: the repression. [Read More]

Cologne: Elster squat in Ehrenfeld

German territory, July 19, 2019. Tonight, supporters of Cologne caravan spaces, Assata im Hof, the Autonomous Centre Cologne (AZ), the women of the 1006, the Socialist Self-help Mülheim (SSM) and other emancipatory projects for living spaces and open spaces squatted a house in Cologne-Ehrenfeld, Vogelsanger Straße 230, which had been unused for years. Concerts and a party will take place in the evening. For the coming days there is also a varied program with lectures, workshops and other things planned.

“We have joined together to revolt against failed urban development. The neoliberal exploitation policy of the City of Cologne does not meet the needs of its residents but prioritises economic interests. Affordable living space is given up in favour of luxury renovations or office space and self-organized (open space) projects are to be pushed to the outskirts or closed in order to create investment opportunities. We are fighting together against this sell-out of the city,” says activist Petra Silie.

[Read More]

Notre-Dame-des-Landes (France): Transnational Summer Camp ends

More than 500 activists from across Europe, northern and western Africa took part in the Transnational Summer Camp  held between 9th and 14th July at ZAD site located near Nantes in France.

The camp’s callout stated:

[Read More]

Bure (France): Forest reoccupied

Check the info points on bureburebure.info for news, especially before coming on site.

Next to Bure, France, Lejuc forest is reoccupied since the 18th of july at 14h. Many people have moved into the place, on the ground as well as in the trees to reaffirm their opposition to the project of radioactive waste burrying center Cigéo, to nuclear power and the industrial, colonial, military world that goes with it. The police forces that occupied this strategic location until then and protected Andra’s interests were forced to leave. From now on, we call for people to come here in Lejuc forest, as well as in Bure and Mandres-en-Barrois, two villages located two kilometers from the forest

Lejuc forest is in the area of the nuclear dumpster project. Andra plans to clear it to perform archeological digs and drillings, before covering it with concrete to build ventilation shafts. The forest was already occupied twice before, in july 2016 and then from the 15th august 2016 to the 22nd february 2018, date when 500 cops evicted the forest and destroyed the houses of the people who were occupying it.

[Read More]