London: Sweets Way Community House Under Threat

Sweets Way Resists, one of London’s loudest housing protests, has come under threat, after residents were issued with a possession claim on the campaign’s base, 76 Oakleigh Road North.

The Community House, as number 76 is known, has been a meeting point for evicted families and their supporters for nearly six months. But it is more than that. The Community House is a place of refuge, where parents, and their children, can feel at home amidst a time of great turmoil in their lives. We need your help to prevent this refuge being taken away from the people who so desperately need it.
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Morocco: Brutal ‘Fortress Europe’ evictions, people flee to Forest Camps

The EU and Spain pay Morocco and other countries 
to persecute migrants en route and to let them dump unwanted and undocumented migrants there.Desperate immigrants from war torn countries that for decades have been ‘debt cows’, milked for abusive debts by the IMF and western banks are terribly persecuted. Just enough are let close to Europe’s borders so they can bargain for more ‘aid’.
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Amsterdam: The Elephant, new social center threatened with eviction

On the 26th of July a commercial space at the Eerste van Swindenstraat 391 in Amsterdam that had been left empty by property speculators was squatted with the intention of transforming this empty shell into a community social centre: The Elephant.
This space was managed by real estate agency Van Maarschaalkerwaart, known to deliberately leave properties empty for a long time, as a means to make profit through speculation on property markets.

This is a widespread trend amongst property corporations, contributing to the gentrification process in the Dapperbuurt in which small businesses and low-income family are displaced from the neighborhood, through the raising of rents, lack of maintenance and other means. This has taken shape in the destruction of community and cultural spaces, as well as pressure on small businesses, forcing closures. This feature of the gentrification process can be noted clearly in the the closure of two social centres in the Dapperbuurt, as a result of corporations such as DeKey raising the rent to extortionate rates, in order to sell to property developers, speculators, hipster bars, and chain stores. [Read More]

London: Bailiffs sent away! Mostafa still at Sweets Way!

On Monday, people kept a family from being evicted and pushed a council to reverse the decision that would have left them homeless. But we need to keep up the pressure to keep Mostafa and the family safe.

On Sunday night, many of us didn’t go to sleep. Bailiffs were due at 46 Sweets Way and because we had seen what Mostafa and his family had gone through, and we had seen them failed over and over again by the various systems that are meant to protect them, we knew we needed to prepare with them to stay in their home. [Read More]

London: All out for Sweets Way!

In the last 48 hours, everything has ramped up at Sweets Way for what is likely to be a major confrontation between those who believe in the right to housing and community, and those who would see London cleansed of all but the wealthiest.

Annington has sent in contractors, Cuddy, to prepare the estate for demolition. Fences have begun to be erected around large swathes of the estate and contractors and security guards have begun to more actively intimidate us.

Yesterday two bailiffs, with two policemen in tow, attempted to deliver court orders to occupiers. However, through a strong showing of people power, we sent them away, peacefully preventing the delivery of the notices.

Meanwhile, Mostafa and his family – the last remaining household on Sweets Way – have been told by Barnet Council’s solicitors that High Court bailiffs will be coming to evict the family on Monday morning. [Read More]

London: Grow Heathrow, 24 hours to save green belt land from development

Lewdown Holdings have submitted a planning application for the Sipson Garden Centre site, the land where a large portion of the community project Grow Heathrow is located. Hillingdon Council’s planning department will be accepting comments on the application from the public until August 6th (TOMORROW!).

The link to the application on the council’s website is here:

http://planning.hillingdon.gov.uk/OcellaWeb/planningDetails?reference=67666/APP/2015/2413&from=planningSearch

Please write to the council why you think this over-development of Green Belt land is a bad idea: Click on the link above and then click on the ‘enter comment’ button

Quick! Only 24 hours to make a comment. Below are some suggested reasons you could use in your statement: [Read More]

London: Sweets Way D.I.O. Regeneration, proving that we can Do It Ourselves

As of last Thursday, Sweets Way Resists had succeeded in regenerating 1/142nd of the Sweets Way estate. We did so in just six days and for about £370, using a lot of volunteer labour and a mix of found and donated materials. We hope that the People’s Regeneration Show Home will encourage others around London and beyond to come together and reclaim – and when necessary rebuild – homes where they are, rather than leaving them in the hands of those who simply see them as investments.

Beyond inspiring others with a little taste of what regular people are capable of doing to a smashed up building, we also showed that we can do Annington’s job – regeneration – better than they can. We’ve shown that the story of private development offering the only route to quality affordable homes is a convenient myth that facilitates the decimation of socially-rented housing stock, for the benefit of private profits. There IS another way. [Read More]

Den Haag: De Vloek can be evicted says court. De Vloek will keep on fighting

The verdict from the court case between the city of Den Haag and De Vloek came out today July 30th 2015. De Vloek has lost the case and can be evicted within five days. Communique from De Vloek:

This morning, the judge gave a verdict in the case that the city of The Hague filed against social center De Vloek. These summary proceedings were meant to force the eviction of De Vloek. The judge decided that De Vloek may be evicted five days after the signing of the verdict. The signing of the verdict means that the bailiff must sign the verdict and deliver it to De Vloek. It is uncertain when this will happen. Technically, it could happen today, but it could also take longer.

The judge completely ignored the objections posed by De Vloek; for example, that there is no permit for the clean-up of the ground on which De Vloek stands and that this document has not even been applied for or approved. The fact that digging on the seawall is forbidden during the storm season was also disregarded. [Read More]

São Paulo: Espaço de Cultura Libertária Quilombo Fortaleza

In the city of Sao Paulo, in the centre there is one anarcho-punk occupation called “Quilombo Foraleza”. Since May 16, 2014.

Fotos below:

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Germany: Defend the Hambach Forest! Freedom for Jus!

On the 22nd of July the tower – to this date the only remaining living barricade – got evicted. The tower blocked an important access way to the Hambach Forest [previously on S!N]and its occupation.
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London: Help us rebuild the People’s Regeneration Show Home!

New occupation and community-led refurbishment will highlight that ‘regeneration’ doesn’t need to be another word for ‘social cleansing.’ Come down now and help make it happen! [Previous stories here]

Good morning London! As most of you started your work days today, dozens of us began to repair the damage inflicted by Annington Properties to one of their buildings – one of our homes – on the Sweets Way Estate.
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Amsterdam: July 25th, demo, the Village of the ADM moves to the city

UPDATE: The demo from tomorrow is postponed to another date!

Saturday July 25th 2015, Demonstration, parade starting at 15.00,  De Dokwerker, Jonas Daniel Meijerplein.
We take our village to the city and show who we are and what we do. We live at the ADM for a reason. The fringe- and free-zone freely wandering human being needs a place too. We won’t give up and we’ll show in theatrical form that we are an addition and therefore should stay. Join us and express yourself. This will be epic.

ADM is under threat. The destructive forces of greed, power, big industry and Economic growth have focused their eyes on our little oasis in the Amsterdam Harbor. This little self organized experimental community of more then 120 people is more important then a ship yard which is what the owner wants to change our little village into. Lets keep ADM an autonomous and free.

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