Yesterday morning (25/12/11) around 7 am two separate fires broke out in the house, one in the basement, another one in the stairway of the house. At that time not only the residents were in the house, but also several party
guests, at the whole around 150 people. The fire left 12 people injured, two of them with multiple broken bones, after they jumped out in panic from the windows of the first floor. Two kids are also among the injured people.
The house is badly damaged, there is no electricity nor running water, almost all doors have been destroyed during the efforts by the fire brigade to stop the fires and rescue the people. It can be assumed that the fires were not accidental ones, rather than arson attacks. The solidarity works have been already started and will continue until the house will be fully restored.
A list of urgent needed things:
– water cans
– thermos boxes and jugs to keep meals and drinks warm
– screws, locks, bike locks, roof battens
– direct aid on the ground
AN ATTACK AGAINST ONE OF US, IS AN ATTACK AGAINST US ALL! TO THOSE THUGS WHO, DARED TO PLAY WITH FIRE: YOU BURNT YOUR FINGERS! PURE HATE FOR THE MURDEROUS ARSONISTS! HANDS OFF OUR PROJECTS!!!
Background:
The name of the house project refers to the anarchist and hash-rebel Georg von Rauch, who was shot dead by a police officer on December 4th 1971 in Berlin. The house was squatted following a teach-in four days after his death. Part of the teach-in was also a live music event with the band Ton Steine Scherben, which later, in 1974, would write the Rauch-house-song.
The Georg-von-Rauch-house is now existing since 40 years, as a self-organised house project with focus on self-aid of young people. The house project together with several other leftist projects appear on a list of potential targets for arson attacks, which was published online by neo-nazis. In recent time there have been a number of arson attacks against leftist projects in Germany, for example in Berlin against the Tommy-Weisbecker-house in the end of June 2011.
