The Hague: November 19th, Fight Repression! Stop repression against anti-fascists and anarchists!

20161119_Den_Haag_fight_repression_demo_flyerOn Saturday November 19th, there will be a demonstration in The Hague, The Netherlands, against the wave of repression that Hague anti-fascists and anarchists have been facing in the last year. One who attacks one of us, attacks all of us. Solidarity through struggle!

Within the last year, repression against anti-fascists and anarchists has greatly increased, with The Hague in the middle of it. An area ban for anarchists was issued for the Schilderswijk, in an attempt to break the struggle against the racist, violent, and murderous police. After that that, another area ban was issued, this time against anti-fascists who have been resisting against the extreme right wing Pegida demonstrations. Damage claims of 50,000 euro were demanded from several anarchists who resisted against the eviction of social center De Vloek, which had been squatted for 13 years. The mayor also tried to shutter the local Autonomous Center. Furthermore, subsequent demonstrations were forbidden, people were intimidated by the police at home and on the street, numerous preventative arrests were made, and attempts were made to recruit informants.

But these are not just attacks against individual anarchists and anti-fascists. This is an attack against all who fight against racism, this is an attack against all who stand for a world without exploitation and discrimination, this is an attack on all of us. And this attack cannot go unanswered! This is a call for solidarity, because solidarity is our weapon against the isolation being forced on us by the police and the mayor. We must defend our autonomous spaces and structures! [Read More]

Calais (France): Total jungle eviction may begin on 17 October

The French State has been spreading word that it will evict the whole of the Calais Jungle, meaning the homes of 10,000 people, by “the end of October”. The latest rumour is that the attack will begin on 17 October and will feature a new weapon: blinding laser cannons developed for use against Somali pirates, now to be used for the first time against Africans and other migrants on European soil.**

Other talk is that the eviction will take just “three days”, and that not only the self-built jungle but also the official Jules Ferry day centre and maybe even the state-built Container Camp will go. Comrades from the ZAD (occupied zone of resistance to the airport project in Notre Dame des Landes) also believe that their own planned eviction may be delayed so that the state can first throw all its forces at Calais.
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Amsterdam: Eerste Oosteparkstraat becomes another chapter in the gentrification of the city

201610_Eerste_Oosterparkstraat_114_116_AmsterdamOn the 22nd of September, the residents of Eerste Oosterparkstraat 88-126 were evicted from their homes. Construction work has started to demolish the buildings. It will be replaced by a new block of houses and businesses. We have lived here for three years in a squatted house and we have decided to speak up about what is going on.

The first step to gentrifying the neighborhood begins by evicting and demolishing existing homes and building new, often ugly block houses. House rents will increase and the neighborhood will fill up with rich yuppies. The original inhabitants will be forced to leave their homes and move out of town. The plans to renovate the neighborhood for profit forces people out of Amsterdam. This is social cleansing designed to eliminate social and cultural diversity, and further impoverish the low-wage workers, the unemployed, the homeless.

Owner of these houses is Stadgenoot, a public housing corporation. This corporation owns 40.000 houses, office spaces, storage spaces and garages. It is known for contributing to the nationwide decimation of affordable housing and tenant rights. They bypass tenant rights by using all kinds of flexible temporary contracts, anti-squat, temporary leases and campus contracts thereby by circumventing rent control, while at the same time decreasing the number of houses that used to be social rent. [Read More]

London: Camelot HQ squatted

201609_London_Camelot_HQ_squattedA few days ago the former Camelot Europe HQ, in Westland Park London N1 was squatted in protest against guardian companies’ anti-social profiteering from empty properties and homelessness.

For those who don’t know, Camelot are the original “guardian” company, invented to counter the squatting movement in Holland by moving in people who act as security by living there. Guardians pay rent but have less protection than ordinary tenants, at least according to the wording of their contracts. Other guardian companies also exist, such as our least-favourite Dot Dot Dot ……

A couple of articles have appeared in the Guardian but with certain problems. Both of them seem to agree with Camelot that what the people acting as security guards by living in their properties are is merely licencees, when most legal advice shows that they clearly have tenancies. When challenged on this point most guardian companies back down and come to a deal, rather than allow the issue to go to court. [Read More]

Gouda (NL): Update on arrests

On Saturday September 17 Hotel Mirage, Westhaven 49 was squatted in Gouda and immediately evicted. (see press release in Dutch).

On Tuesday September 20, the five detainees still held (four anonymous) came before the magistrate. One was remanded, the other four (all still anonymous) were released.
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Amsterdam: We Are Here squat two new places

Today, Sunday, September 18th, We Are Here (Wij Zijn Hier) squatted two buildings on Burgemeester Röellstraat 70 (for women) and Rijswijkstraat 2 (for men). We squatted these buildings cracked because the Vluchtgemeente squat, where many of us stay, will be evicted on Monday.
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The Hague: Mayor wants to close Autonomous Center

Autonoom_Centrum_Den_Haag_2016Last week, the Autonomous Center (AC) in The Hague received a letter from the mayor demanding that we close the property at Harstenhoekweg 4, where a social center has been established since February. The warrant was served because a so-called ‘illegal cafe’ is being operated in the building. The AC was already in discussion with the municipality to find a solution for the so-called ‘illegal situation’ but the mayor doesn’t want to wait for this.
The mayor has given an order that the building can be closed from 12:00 on September 22. The AC collective is looking into its legal options to avoid closure of the social center. All activities have been temporarily suspended until the situation is more certain. It should be clear that we are not giving up and that we are, together with our lawyers, looking into the steps that we can take against the mayor’s decision
The order to shut down is the latest step that Hague mayor Jozias van Aartsen has taken in a series of repressive measures against anarchists and autonomous spaces. Several Hague anarchists wrote a text about these measures: ‘The area ban against anarchists in a broader context of repression in The Hague‘. It is clear that the current situation is not an isolated incident but part of a bigger picture. The mayor is trying yet again to close places where space is made for extra-parliamentary politics. Keep an eye on the Autonoom Centrum website for updates. [Read More]

Agrinio (Greece): Solidarity with the struggle against slavery in US prisons

[Agrinio, Western Greece] Apertus squat: Solidarity with the struggle against slavery in US prisons

The US prison operation relies heavily on the work of the prisoners themselves, while many prisons have now been privatized. Also, prison labor is being exploited by multinational companies (Honda, McDonald’s, Victoria’s Secret, Starbucks, etc.). Payment that prisoner-workers receive for their labor varies from minimal to nonexistent. Furthermore, surveillance, inhumane conditions of detention, discipline, various methods of torture, etc., are traditionally the first choices for the smooth operation of these prisons.

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Slovenia: Autonomous spaces will be defended

During the night between 27th and 28th of August 2016 another one of a series of attacks organized by neo-Nazi groups took place in the autonomous area of Metelkova City in Ljubljana. The Nazis attacked by throwing bottles, pyrotechnics, stones, and shouting fascist slogans which resulted in a few people being hurt, one of them seriously. The police came to the scene and sadly even tried to treat the hurt people as criminals. We stand in solidarity with all the injured and join them in a clearly handed down: “They shall not pass!”

The antimigration discourses that have recently escalated through sensational reporting of the profit-oriented media apparatus, and which are constantly also the agenda of political elites to achieve their populist goals, are creating fertile ground for seemingly isolated and sporadic attacks on autonomous spaces. From our analysis and experience from the field we understand that states as institutions through their antimigration policies, systematic discrimination and racism do not allow to breathe neither to the autonomous spaces nor to people seeking refuge. So it is obvious that we cannot place our trust and hope in these and similar formations. We are aware that in order to fight the ideologies of exclusion the responsability rests in all community members, always and everywhere. [Read More]

Athens: Announcement of Squat Notara 26 about the attack of August 24th

20160824_incendiary_attack_Notara_26_Athens_GreeceOn Wednesday August 24th at 3:45 a.m. the Housing Squat for Refugees and Migrants Notara 26 received an incendiary attack. The acting method of the arsonists we consider to be a clear murderous act, organised with the goal to cause – apart from the serious material damage – also loss of human lives. The timing of this cowardly act was chosen during August, when as the arsonists believed the reflexes of the solidarity movement would be sluggish. In vain though…

After the attack with molotov and gas-bottle bombs the safeguard of the refugees and the assistance of the solidarity acted immediately, using the fire extinguishers of the squat. The over 130 lives that where seriously endangered where saved solely by the immediate reaction of the total of the residents, of the solidarity and the neighbours of the squat, as well as with the participation of the fire department – although it derogatively characterised the Notara 26 squat as a storage in its press release, implying that no people where resident at the location.

This particular event is one link in the long chain of attacks against the migrant squats, refugees, as well as the free social spaces, which consists of a cooperation of state and parastate – where the first acts using the law (Orphanage, Nikis squat, Hurriya) and the second with the usual mafia practices (Vancouver, Avtonomo Steki, Zaimi, Analipsi, Kaniggos) – targeting the solidarity movement. [Read More]

Dublin: Huge Grangegorman squat complex evicted for second time

201608_Dublin_Grangegorman_2nd_evictionThe massive complex of squatted buildings at Grangegorman was evicted for a second time in early August, this time its likely to be permanent at the plan is to build a huge number of expensive to rent student apartments on the site.
The eviction was anticipated and a lot of material was moved over the days around August 11th when ‘heavies’ broke through the gates but were told to back off and allow time for material to be moved out when the Garda arrived. The squatters were quietly moving to another large abandoned building nearby that had been squatted recently, the Debtors Prison on Halston street. Central Dublin is full of such abandoned buildings despite the worst housing crisis in the history of the state. Welcome to Ireland 2016 where protecting the rights of vulture funds to make millions come far, far ahead of needs of those without secure accommodation.

Parts of the Grangegorman site had been abandoned for 20 years as they were assembled into a speculative land package. The total site included 3 very large warehouses, 3 houses and 2 office buildings and a shop as well as one enormous central courtyard and a number of smaller ones. With the 2009 crisis the original developer ended up in NAMA who evicted the site a little over a year ago and then sold it to more property speculators, details below. This new group then abandoned the site so was occupied once more a few months ago and has provided housing to up to 30 people since then as well as being the site of art performances and solidarity fundraisers. [Read More]

Greece: Lets destroy them first! Statement after evictions in Thessaloniki

201608_Attack_company_offices_GreeceThis is an individual statement after the trial that followed an action against the Orthodox Church in Thessaloniki. Although this statement doesn’t represent anybody except myself and may include an uncompleted picture, I decided that it should be spread. Never trust the media!

Unsurprisingly, the three evictions in Thessaloniki on 27th of July resulted in furious actions. The squats were evicted by a coordinated police operation to do the Church a favor and satisfy their thirst for revenge. The Church is in this case not only an agitator but also responsible for the eviction and demolition of Orfanotrofio squat (a selforganized space and housing squat for immigrants since December 2015). [Read More]