The eviction of the autonomous centre Klinika in Prague was announced to happen on Thursday, 10 January. Yet, on Friday, 11 January, it was still not over and Klinika was still breathing. There were still several people occupying a platform on the roof. We talked to an activist at Klinika.
The context:
The strategy used by the authorities in the eviction of Klinika differs from previous evictions in Prague. Usually, it is the cops who carry out the eviction. This time, a bailiff (“exekutor”) is in charge of the procedure, and a private security company that seems to recruit its personnel from the ranks of hooligans/fascists enforces it.
The building and the surrounding garden are owned by the State Railway Administration Agency (SŽDC). In the negotiation process preceding the eviction, SŽDC seemed cooperative at first, saying the collective could continue to use the premises if they managed to gain support at City Hall. There had been negotiations with City Hall as well; however, they stopped communicating with the collective in December 2018.
In advance of the eviction, City Hall expressed its fear that resistance against the bailiff-led eviction at Klinika would inspire other people to rebel, too. After all, many people are affected by bailiffs confiscating their personal belongings, which links the Klinika eviction with the larger-scale social struggles.
The January eviction is also different from previous situations where Klinika was evicted and then quickly reclaimed by activists since it comes after a court order. Activists were anticipating that these would be the final days of the squat. They removed most of the furniture in advance to prevent it from being confiscated by the executor, which means they would have had to pay a fee to get their stuff back.
Against this background, squatters tactically agreed on a consensus of „nonviolent and passive resistance“ against the eviction.
The eviction:
Originally, the eviction had been scheduled for Thursday, 10 January, 10 a.m. Many people spent the night from Wednesday to Thursday at Klinika. Squatters and supporters gathered for a breakfast inside the house at 9 a.m. At 10 a.m., the bailiff showed up, accompanied by private security guards and cops. The activist‘s strategy of resistance on Thursday was to stay inside the house with a critical mass of people, which worked out pretty well.
After the bailiff had entered the building, the thugs from the security company had invaded it too and got control of about half the house. The ‘security’ thugs barricaded the windows in the part of the house held by them and welded the backdoor shut. There were still people inside the other half, and numerous supporters outside. In the afternoon, the eviction was postponed to continue on the next day. This is a small victory for the squatters.
Since early on Thursday, there are several activists on a platform on the roof of Klinika, defending the space with their presence. While they are there, the eviction cannot be completed. These fucking amazing people were still there on Friday noon, protected only by plastic sheets at temperatures well below 0°C.
Am Donnerstag Nachmittag wurde etwas abseits eine Person von ziemlich aggro auftretenden vermummten Zivi-Cops wegen eines abgelaufenen Passes festgenommen und einige Stunden später wieder freigelassen. Einer der Zivi-Cops trug ein bezeichnenderweise ein Thor-Steinar-Shirt.
On Thursday afternoon, one person was detained by rather aggressive masked plain-clothes cops because of an expired passort. A few hours later, the person was released. One of the cops was wearing a Thor Steinar shirt.
On Thursday evening, the cops reinforced their presence in the streets around Klinika. That night, there was a hip hop and hardcore gig inside the house, and people were pepper-sprayed by security thugs inside the house. About 30 people spent the night at Klinika.
On Friday morning at 8 a.m., security thugs blocked the main entrance so comrades could not join to defend the house. The people inside decided it was not reasonable to stay after the bailiff returned this morning. Staying on the premises would have been considered a criminal act, and 30 people facing charges would have put an unreasonable strain on the community in terms of repression.
Together, the people who had spent the night inside and supporters waiting outside walked up the hill behind the premises, where the people on the roof could hear and see them. The next step as of Friday, 11 a.m. was to stay there and show moral support to the activists on the roof. (In previous eviction, people had stayed on the roof for up to 7 nights – in winter.)
In an attempt to put pressure on the collective, the bailiff threatened to charge them the cost of the destruction of their autonomous social centre, announcing costs of 4000 to 24000 Euros.
“They can evict us from this house, but they cannot evict our ideas.” (One activist at Klinika).
There are 7000 empty houses in Prague.
Naší zbraní je solidarita!
Solidarity is our weapon!
Originally published by Indymedia DE. Found on enoughisenough
