Ljubljana: news from the displaced anarcha community of Mačjak

On ruins.

Parmova 1312 is gone. it has been more than a month since the first machinery arrived. walls, rooftops and furniture are by now all grinded to dust and scattered around the lot.
We (Mačjak) did not know the exact date when they would demolish our part. Nonetheless, we organised an eviction fest, one last collective gathering with the aim to give away everything we had not been able to move to the other spaces and celebrate all that had happened in the times before. Our squat was still standing the day after the eviction fest. and the next. A fence was mounted around us, but our building remained intact. meanwhile, in Athens, two squats were evicted – Ano Kato and Zizania. In solidarity, we raised a banner against gentrification, evictions and for the creation of new squats in our deserted space. [Read More]

Philadelphia (USA): Squatting, Rebellion, Movement… An Interview with Philadelphia Housing Action

Podcast to download here (mp3).

On this episode of the It’s Going Down podcast, we speak with two members of Philadelphia Housing Action, about the ups and downs of 2020 that has been outlined in the recent piece, Occupy, Takeover: How Philadelphia Housing Action Turned Vacant Buildings Into Homes. It details how throughout 2020, members of the group moved unsheltered individuals and families into livable, unused homes owned by the Philadelphia Housing Authority. [Read More]

Dublin: Lessons from the Barricade Inn squatted social centre

The Barricade Inn was a squatted social centre in the centre of Dublin. During the peak of its activity over the summer of 2015 hundreds of people were involved in putting on events in the space that thousands of people attended. In this audio we talk to three WSM members who were involved in opening up and running The Barricade about what happened there and what lessons they drew from the experience.

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Ljubljana: Interview on the defense of the Rog factory squat

In cooperation with Crna Luknja, the anarchist radio show on Radio Student in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia, we produced the following interview on the ongoing struggle against the attempted eviction of Rog, a former bicycle factory and an active squat for 10 years now. The interview focuses on the resistance against the attempts of eviction by the city as well as Nazi attacks and also on the political framework right now in Slovenia.

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Melbourne: Audio reports from the Bendigo Street

201604_Homeless_Persons_Union_of_Victoria_Collingwood_Occupation_Melbourne_2Today we talked about the current squatting action on Bendigo Street in Collingwood where the Homeless Persons Union of Victoria (HPUVIC) and supporters are occupying empty houses owned by the state government, and briefly discussed the squatting history of Melbourne.

Listen to the Girls Radio Offensive show from April 4th 2016: https://www.mixcloud.com/girlsradiooffensive/4-april-2016/ [Read More]

London: Interviews and highlights from Grow Heathrow’s 6th birthday party

Grow_Heathrow_LondonLondon’s most famous eco-squat, Grow Heathrow, celebrates 6 years of inspired resistance. We go along to the party and talk to activists there about their struggles, their successes and our shared future.
Grassroots Takeover radio show: https://soundcloud.com/grassroots-takeover/happy-birthday-grow-heathrow

source: Occupy London http://occupylondon.org.uk/listen-here-to-interviews-and-highlights-from-grow-heathrows-6th-birthday-party/

Greece: The self-organized refugee squat Orfanotrofio in Thessaloniki

OrfanotrofeioThe following audio is a recording made by activists of the self-organized refugee squat Orfanotrofio in Thessaloniki, Greece. This material has been made available to us by our comrades at Crna Luknja, the anarchist radio show at Radio Student in Ljubljana, the capital of Slovenia.

The comrades of Orfanotrofio tell about the conditions that led to squatting this place in Thessaloniki in the beginning of last December and about their struggle to keep the place despite of all obstacles. [Address of refugee squat Orfanotrofio: Grigoriou Lampraki 186, Thessaloniki. Bus 14/14a at bus station “Orfanotrofio”].

This is on the self-organized refugee squat Orfanotrofio in Thessaloniki. (Length: 5:30 min). You can download the audio at: archive.org (wav | mp3 | ogg).
Here you can listen to it directly:
[Read More]

Brazil: The Passe Livre movement in São Paulo

protestosaopaulompl20140619The struggle for the right to the city, against the intensification of exploitation and valorization is complex and diverse. May it be people in Berlin stopping an eviction, squatting houses in Amsterdam, taking squares in Greece or fighting for free public transportation in Brazil. A state with a massive territory, huge cities and as in so many places a classist, racist and sexist division of labour that expresses itself among other ways through the public transportation system. As Anarchist Radio Berlin we had the opportunity to talk with an activist of the Passe Livre movement from Sao Paulo, Brazil, about their struggle.

Length: 17:04 min
You can download the audio at: archive.org (wav | mp3 | ogg).
Here you can listen to it directly:
[Read More]

Greece: The occupied refugee center Notara26 in Athens

Κατάληψη_Νοταρά_26We had the opportunity of making an interview with two activists of the occupied and self-organized refugee center Notara26 in Athens, Greece. The comrades tell us about the origins and ideas of their center as well as of the anarchist influence and importance of the Exarchia neighborhood. They also comment on the topic of governmental (Syriza) policies and the difference of their work to such policies. And they also mention problems encountered in this project.

Some more interviews with anarchist organizations and anarchist projects will follow soon as part of our new series on anarchism and social struggles in the Mediterranean. This is part is on the occupied refugee center Notara26 in Athens, Greece.
Length: 12:36 min
You can download the audio at: archive.org (wav | mp3 | ogg).

Here you can listen to it directly:
[Read More]

Dublin: Housing Action, Past, Present and Future

Over the years, Dublin’s working class has organised to fight landlords, developers and politicians in search of decent housing and well-being for all. This panel at the 9th Dublin anarchist bookfair considered how some of these earlier campaigns and direct actions can inform today’s struggles.

Trade union activist Mick O’Reilly remembered the Dublin Housing Action Committee of the early 1970s.

Longtime trade union activist and anarchist Alan MacSimoin recalled the Dublin Squatters Association of the mid-1970s.

Community activist John Bissett discusseed confronting public-private partnerships before and after the property crash.

Conor Murphy, an activist and squatter from the North Inner City talked about current attempts to turn Dublin’s empty buildings into decent living spaces.

Dublin Housing Action: Past, Present and Future – Anarchist bookfair 2014 audio [Read More]