Ljubljana. Slovenia. January 19. 2021. In the early morning hours riot cops showed up at the autonomous factory Rog. They started to evict the squatted facilities without an announcement and without a legal basis.
In 2002 the Municipality of Ljubljana bought the 7,000 square-metres complex with several buildings in “downtown” Ljubljana but never used it. The former bicyle factory was occupied in 2006 and since then it was used as an autonomous social center.
This morning Valina secutity arrived at 07:00am and started to evict the Rog and injured several people during the eviction. The cops started to install fences around the Rog and started to beat people in front of the premises. At least nine people were arrested. Three injured people had to be treated in a hospital.
In a statement Rog wrote: „Hundreds of users work in the Rog Autonomous Factory, and over the years it has become ours“. Thousands of people visited the Rog. Migrants, and other people pushed by society had found their place. Artists who do not agree with the dictates of capitalist culture, skaters, graffiti artists, circus artists, people who keep Ljubljana alive and who are working in it, despite the pressures of capital, politicians and police.
City authorities want to continue their gentrification policy, which turns Ljubljana into a tourist Disneyland to make profit. The Rog users wrote: “That is why they have declared war on us.”
The attack on Rog does not take place in a political vacuum, as there have been a number of attacks on Rog, civil society, Radio Študent, Metelkova 6 and other socially critical actors in recent months.
The far right government of Janez Janša is going after our comrades, the anti-authoritarian movement in Slovenia need our solidarity and support.
Published by Enough 14
