– Released on December 3rd 2001
Huilerie Occupée, 15 boulevard Montrichet, 13001 Marseille huilerie [at] altern [dot] org Contact : (33) 0699850352
On Saturday December 2nd, was taking place a public evening (concert) at the Huilerie Occupée with a gathering of the French “Intersquat”, people/collectives involved in the squat scene. The Huilerie Occupée offers a collective space with various activities, squatted since March 2000 because of the lack of housing facilities, and providing workshops (bike, silk screening printing, sound…) and a meeting place (people’s kitchen, screenings, concerts). The place is now threatened of eviction.
During the concert, on Saturday night, around 2 o’clock in the night, a police patrol came pretexting noise disturbance. The police immediately try to arrest violently people in front of the place. They beat up numerous persons, some of them got injured: 3 of them got open wounds caused by truncheon hits on the face, another one got a broken arm. Then the police tried to force their way into the squat. Because of the explicit threats of the police, to prevent an illegal eviction and a mass arrest (200 people), the people from the Huilerie Occupée barricaded the doors of their house. In the following minutes, lot of police reinforcement blocked the neighbouring streets, around 100 cops from the BAC (anti criminal brigade), CRS (riot cops) and also fire men. Undercover police was shooting rubber bullets to the people standing at windows. People arriving at this time at the squatt were brutally confronted to the police. One of them suffered a broken arm during this arrest. After a surgery at the Marseille’s Hopital Nord, that person was send to custody, where she still is at this time. During 2 hours, the Huilerie Occupée had to contain assaults from the police. This massive and violent police action does not seem innocent. During the afternoon, following a proposition of the Huilerie Occupée, an anti-capitalist flee-market given away clothes for free had taken over the busiest Marseille’s shopping street in a festive atmosphere. While leaving their flee market, participants to this illegal gathering were followed by undercover police in Marseille’s streets. In the following evening and in a repressive context, police illustrated once more with a systematic use of violence. This violence might even get worse during the following days as justice has announced an imminent eviction. But people living at the Huilerie Occupée should not be evicted before spring, as they should be protected by the winter no-eviction period. The collective will quickly act to denonce police attacks, resist to the eviction, and follow their various activities, still keeping a public dimension. We are asking the immediate release of the person arrested in the night of December 1st to 2nd. Police violence will not make us silent. For one squat evicted, hundred houses are to be opened.
You can support the Huilerie Occupée and victims from police violence of saturday night by different ways. You can fax, send email and post mail to the Préfecture, to the main City Hall and to the 1st district City Hall, following the proposed typed-letter (in french bellow). You can also give these informations and the typed-letter to people and collectives you know. You can also call these institutions to tell them your indignity. It is also possible to contact the Huilerie to get regular updates about the eviction date et eventually come to support the living group in an active resistance.
A few more infos/updates :
– The deadline for a possible eviction given to the Huilerie Occupée is December 8th. Up to police source, the eviction will happen between December 8th and 12th. Any kind of support is welcome.
– The squat should be legaly protected by the winter no-eviction period (article 613-3 du Code de la contruction et de l’Habitation). Even with that, the Prefecture might decide or not to go over this law.
– A complain against the police was made by the person kept in custody. The observatory center on police violence is joining the complain. That person was set free on Monday December 3rd at 17th, charged for “rebellion”, and a court-case on February 1st.
– A video has been edited with futage of the police attack on saturday night. It has already been publicly broadcasted and will be again in different venues in Marseille these coming days.
– More updates and infos on the Huilerie Occupée on internet at http://squat.net/huilerie You are welcome to show your support and solidarity against the eviction in making pressure on the state. Send a protest letter to institutions listed bellow.
Typed letter (in french) to send to:
Mairie centrale de Marseille, Quai port, 13002 Marseille tel : (33) 04.91.55.11.11 fax : (33) 04.91.55.44.42
Mairie 1er et 7e arrondissement, 125 La Canebière, 13001 Marseille tel : (33) 04.91.14.54.10 fax : (33) 04.91.14.54.11
Procureur de la République, Palais de Justice, 6 place Moutyou, 13006 Marseille fax : (33) 04.91.15.56.80
Préfecture de la region PACA et Bouches du Rhône, Place Félix Baret, 13006 Marseille tel : (33) 04.91.15.60.00 fax : (33) 04.91.53.15.40
Monsieur/madame,
Cette lettre a pour but de protester contre les graves faits de brutalité policière survenus samedi soir à l’Huilerie Occupée. Je soutiens également les initiatives de cet espace collectif d’habitation et d’activités, et refuse de le voir expulser.
Samedi 2 décembre, lors d’un concert public à l’Huilerie Occupée, une brigade de police est intervenue avec violence (faisant des blessures ouvertes au visage chez trois personnes, cassant un bras chez une autre), pour ensuite essayer d’expulser le lieu, en toute illégalité. Arrêté arbitrairement alors qu’il arrivait sur les lieux, Thierry L. s’est fait casser un bras et mettre en garde-à-vue. Il est aujourd’hui poursuivi pour “rebellion”.
J’exige l’abandon des poursuites contre Thierry L. Il est scandaleux que s’ajoute a ses blessures une inculpation que rien ne peut justifier. Je proteste également contre les manoeuvres d’intimidation et la tentative d’expulsion illégale (le lieu ne peut être expulsé pendant la trêve hivernale).
Je tiens ainsi à vous faire part de ma vigilance.
Huilerie collective + solidaires
