The latest status of squats in Istanbul (Oct 2018)

By: g - October 18th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

– Yeldeğirmeni, Don Kişot: Began during Summer 2013. Evicted in November 2015. Torn down in November 2016. A new building rises now instead of squat.

– Kadıköy, Caferağa: Began in Autumn 2013. Evicted in December 2014. Back then, activists had organized the largest demo ever in Turkey to protest a squat eviction (https://bit.ly/2ypyMuO). Burnt down in November 2016.

– Beşiktaş, Berkin Elvan: Began in Spring 2014. Evicted in a month…

– Söğütlüçeşme, Samsa: Began in Spring 2014. Abandoned by many activists by Winter 2015. The building stands still as doors locked.

– Acıbadem, Lojman: Began in Winter 2016. Its anarchist collective has largely been dissolved by Summer 2016. As of October 2018, Lojman is still being maintained as a de-facto squat by several occupiers. Restricted access. For short stays, visits and other queries, please contact: lojman@@@riseup.net

*There are ongoing guerilla gardening (bostan) projects as well. Some of those areas are located on squatted sites like Roma Bostani in Cihangir.

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Book: Fighting for Spaces, Fighting for our Lives

By: sisulscz - October 9th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

Squatting everywhere kollective (SqEK) aims with this book to move beyond the conventional understandings of squatting, investigating its history in different places over the past four decades.

While waves of repression against squatters seem to spread across many places, attacking and shutting down its remaining squatting strongholds and its historical spaces of rebellion, some squatted social centres manage to persist and new occupied zones arise – successfully defended through public mobilization and widespread solidarity, alongside militant action. At the same time, squatting has seen a rebirth as a tool of radical praxis in movements fighting against the rising number of evictions and foreclosures during the financial crisis, facing the policies of racism and creating open spaces for refugees, migrants and people of colour. The collected essays, first-hand accounts and photographs in this book do not intend to offer an over-arching narrative of where the squatters movement is heading. Instead the book provides glimpses into a diverse and multi-faceted movement, with accounts from local struggles, experiences of repression and stories of collective forms of life which have grown out of squatted spaces in various cities and countries throughout the world, including accounts from Rio de Janeiro, Istanbul, Seattle and Australia.

PDF available to download (10MB)

Source

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London: Queens in Furs guided tour of Brixton

By: sisulscz - September 10th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

In the 1970s Britain was saturated in political activity right across the board. Not just in the Labour movement, trade unions and the Left but also the new social movements were particularly active in challenging the oppressive established order especially the black, women’s and gay liberation movements. The environmental, countercultural, squatters’ and claimants’ organisations were also fully engaged in defending people against poverty, homelessness, the destruction of the environment and experimenting with ‘alternative’ lifestyles. Throughout this period the anti-apartheid movement, the Anti-Nazi League and Troops out of Ireland challenged the racist regime in South Africa, the growing menace of racism and fascism and the continuing military occupation of Northern Ireland. In the early 70s there were still lively anti-Vietnam war demonstrations. Much of this ‘crucible’ of radical activity provided the ingredients for how politics were practised locally in Brixton.
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London: Streets Fest on Monday!

By: sisulscz - September 9th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

CALL OUT TO ALL SQUATTERS / HOMELESS / TRAVELLERS
All Day Free BBQ / Hairdressers / Doctors / Vets / Showers / Opticians / Housing, Squatting, Boat Advice / Free Clothes /

#STREETSFEST #STREETSKITCHEN #FINSBURYPARK #NFAAF

Bringing together 50+ groups and services
Monday 10th September – Finsbury Park (2pm – 8pm)

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Helsinki: Squat Kumma 2V Party

By: sisulscz - August 30th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

Squat Kumma celebrates its 2 year journey in august with a hardcore gig on saturday 25.8 and a DIY-festival on 31.8-2.9. At the DIY-fest there will be workshops about tattoos and “artvandalism”, food, gigs, art exhibition and more!

Two years ago a group of squatters decided to squat an empty house in Malminkartano, Helsinki and create a space for self-organized and free from oppression. Since then the squat has hosted numerous events; gigs, peoples kitchens, movie nights, workshops etc.

What does Do-It-Yourself mean for us?
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Rotterdam (Netherlands): Squatting the Grey City

By: sisulscz - July 15th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

Squatting the Grey City is a book about the squatters movement in Rotterdam in the Netherlands from the 1970s to the present day.
Rotterdam has a rich and diverse history of squatting. As well as countless houses, many venues and other projects came from the movement. If you know where to look, the city is full of stories. This book will give you one version of this colourful past, from one squat researcher’s perspective. Read about everything from the Aktiekomittee Progastarbeiders to Zines, with loads of pictures and activist analysis in between.

Download pdf /epub.

Cobble Books

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London: Check out that A.S.S.

By: sisulscz - July 12th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

Squatters beware – there have been multiple cases in the last few weeks of people being arrested for burglary when squatting a place. With that in mind the Advisory Service for Squatters (A.S.S.) would like to remind people a few things to keep them safe if faced with arrest:

  1. No comment – You might be able to explain your situation to the police, but in 99% of cases what you say to them will not get you out of the cells any faster, and can be used to incriminate you or any other people arrested. If you go to court it can all be used against you, especially if you are caught fibbing to the rozzers. Say NO COMMENT to any questions the police ask you and keep you and your crew safe.
  2. Have a bail address – someone who doesn’t mind telling the police that you stay with them sometimes and that you can possibly stay with for a bit if the police do put any bail conditions on you. You don’t want to give them an excuse to keep you in prison.
  3. Know a legal firm to call – don’t in any circumstances take the duty solicitor provided by the police. Remember the name of one of the solicitor firms on the bust card, available at all good anarchist soical centres and refuse t have an interview until your lawyers are called.

Good luck out there! Feed the pigeons!

From Squatters of London Action Paper Issue 9 (pdf) – back issues here

NFA Antifascists

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Catania (Italy): In solidarity with Studentato 95100

By: sisulscz - June 26th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

On Monday June 25, it was suddenly announced that the occupied student housing block in Catania (studentato 95100) would be evicted, on grounds of public order. People made barricades on the street and saw off the eviction threat.

The block was squatted in February 2018 after being empty for ten years. In the last six months the owner (Ursino Recupero) had made no attempt to contact the students, who have self-organised their accommodation since the university fails to provide it. As well as giving people a place to stay, the block has provided a study room, organised social events and hosted conferences on social movements, including the SqEK 2018 conference.

To respond to this unexpected threat, supporters of the student block have occupied a library which is also owned by Ursino Recupero at Monastero dei Bendettini.

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USA: Occupy ICE PDX Calls on People to Establish Their Own Occupations and Abolish ICE

By: sisulscz - June 25th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

Beginning on Sunday, June 17th, community members from all walks of life, working together with the Direct Action Alliance, Portland Assembly, and the Portland Democratic Socialists of America, organized a protest in the area around an ICE facility in southwest Portland with legal support provided by the National Lawyers Guild, to protest the Trump administration’s monstrous and inhumane policy of separating children from their families at the border. The protest, located at 4310 SW Macadam, has quickly developed into an occupation, with tents, supplies, facilities, and even a tiny library. On Tuesday night the occupiers committed to staying there until concrete and meaningful action is taken to reunite these families, and since Wednesday the facility has been rendered inoperative. Though there have been confrontations with police and DHS, police repression has remained minimal.

Now a few days into the occupation, what started as dozens of protesters has grown to as many as a few hundred spread across multiple encampments outside the building. We are calling on activists across the country to establish their own occupations to abolish ICE. Wherever ICE agents dare to show their faces, they must be challenged and shamed for carrying out this fascist policy. Since instituting the zero-tolerance policy, over 2,000 children have been separated from their parents, and many may never be reunited with their parents, as there is no system in place to bring them back together. There are over 11,000 immigrant children currently housed in government shelters, many of whom are here because they are fleeing violence in countries destabilized by this country’s own imperial apparatus.
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Amstelveen (NL): We Are Here lose courtcase

By: sisulscz - June 25th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

The We Are Here group lost in court and can be evicted from their new place in Amstelveen from midday today onwards.

Translation from indymedia

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Cologne: Street blockade against possible eviction of Autonomous Center

By: sisulscz - June 25th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

About 800 people blocked Zülpicher Platz in Cologne, Germany on Friday to protest against eviction threats against the autonomous center (AZ Köln).

The protesters reclaimed the streets and demanded not to evict the autonomous center in Cologne. About 40 initiatives are active in the autonomous center. The city of Cologne is planning to evict and demolish the building. Negotiations with city authorities did not bring a satisfying solution.

People took the streets of Cologne once again on Friday to make clear that if the city takes the autonomous center, people will reclaim the streets. Cops kettled the blockade on Friday night, including by-passers on Zülpicher Platz. The lackeys in uniform again and again attacked people.

At 09:30pm cops released the kettle and people spontaniously marched to the autonomous center AZ Köln.

Bron

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Portugal: Stop the eviction of C.O.S.A

By: sisulscz - June 25th, 2018  Filed under: Announcement

On the 13th of October in 2000 a group of young people from Setúbal, Portugal, decided to take in their own hands the control of a part of their lives. They squatted an abandoned house replacing emptiness and apathy with desires, dreams and experiences of freedom, autonomy, self organisation, confrontation and atack.

A communitarian place to live free action and expression, without political parties or state control, without authority, without profit and at last puting anarchism in practice. They named the squat C.O.S.A. (casa okupada de Setùbal autogestionada) and from this moment a new confrontation with power starts spreading through the city. Quickly the critique, denounce and intervention became present in the daily life of Setúbal. Cosa became a social center from where people organized against speculation, tourism resorts, oppression from the state, deaths by the hands of police, political parties, alienation… There were discussions, actions, demos, concerts, political paintings all around, all the experiments that were necessary to break up with the system. Many things happened trough these years but COSA always stood firm and strong. 17 Years passed and neither the police or the courts can erase this chapter in the rebel and unsubmissive history of the city.
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